Washington Nationals, CJ Abrams Putting Last Year's Incident 'In the Past'

After rocky end to the year, both the Washington Nationals and their star shortstop are ready to move on and put things in the past.

Aug 26, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (5) walks in the outfield before a game against the New York Yankees at Nationals Park | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

There's a lot of optimism surrounding the Washington Nationals right now.

Despite putting up back-to-back 71-win campaigns, all the rising stars and top prospects who are expected to be featured parts of their Major League roster is giving this fan base a ray of hope that hasn't persisted since their World Series-winning season in 2019.

James Wood and Dylan Crews are getting much of the attention based on their ceilings being superstar-caliber, but someone who should not be overlooked is CJ Abrams.

Acquired as one of the featured parts of the Juan Soto trade package, he has worked through growing pains at the Major League level and earned his first All-Star Game selection last year after getting off to a strong first half of the season.

However, the way things ended left a sour taste in the mouths of everyone.

Abrams was demoted to the minors when he was caught staying out late at a casino before a day game, something the Nationals felt they had to immediately and harshly address to nip that type of behavior in the bud.

Whenever something like that happens, there's always a worry there can be lasting effects.

But, it seems like both sides are ready to move on, with Abrams coming into camp as an improved version of himself on and off the field, and the organization willing to forgive an immature mistake.

"What he did in the past is the past. Moving forward, like I said, he wants to come out here and play baseball and be the best shortstop he could possibly be. I'm excited for him. We know what he can do on the field. So we're looking forward to keeping him healthy and getting him out there and letting him play shortstop every day," manager Dave Martinez said per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com.

It wasn't all roses, though.

Abrams admitted "it took some time" to move on from what happened, but instead of focusing on the negative, he used it as a learning experience and got to work improving his craft this winter.

"I'm excited to play. Good offseason. Put in a lot of work -- got bigger, faster, stronger ... I wanted to come out here, see everybody, get things started," he said.

Consistency at the plate and being a better defender are things Washington is looking for in 2025.

When Abrams was selected to the All-Star team, he slashed .268/.343/.489 in 354 at-bats. But after the break, he slashed just .203/.260/.326 across 187 at-bats.

Defensively, he has to take the next step this year.

In 2023, he was worth minus-eight Outs Above Average, but in 2024, he more than double that in a negative way to be worth minus-17 OAA per Baseball Savant.

Getting to the point where Abrams can be the plus-everyday shortstop for the Nationals is the next step in his progression, and at just 24 years old, nobody is ready to pull the plug just yet.

"So we're excited that he's in a good place. He looks great. He showed up early. So with that being said, I'm going to follow his lead. He's excited to be here and ready to get going," Martinez added.