Nationals Star CJ Abrams, James Wood Make Rare Franchise History This Season
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The Washington Nationals aren't where they want to be as a franchise -- they are going to miss the playoffs and finish with a losing record for the seventh year in a row -- but that doesn't mean there hasn't been positives that have come out of this season.
The first thing that jumps out is how lethal this offense has been for the majority of the year.
For the previous handful of seasons, that had been a major issue for the Nationals. But in Year 1 under this new regime, that has changed. Much of that has to do with the offensive explosions from their superstar duo CJ Abrams and James Wood, and on Sunday, the pair made some rare franchise history when Abrams hit a home run.
CJ Abrams, James Wood Both Hit 30 Home Runs
Abrams and Wood became the first Nationals duo to hit 30 home runs in the same season since Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto accomplished that feat in 2019.
Of course, that year turned out much different than this one since Washington went on to win their first-ever World Series. Still, that points to just how great Abrams and Wood have been in 2026, and it's no surprise that their emergence has coincided with this offense performing like one of the best in the majors.
Entering Monday's game against the San Diego Padres, these are the stats for Abrams and Wood:
Abrams: .264/.342/.500 slash line, 30 home runs, 59 extra-base hits, 95 RBIs, 129 OPS+
Wood: .268/.395/.533 slash line, 30 home runs, 59 extra-base hits, 74 RBIs, 154 OPS+
CJ Abrams, James Wood Also Make Some MLB History
Franchise history wasn't the only thing that this star duo accomplished this year. They also became only the second pair of teammates aged 25 or younger to hit 30 or more home runs and steal 15 or more bases in a single season, per MLB.com. They joined Jose Ramírez and Francisco Lindor, who accomplished that feat with Cleveland back in 2018.
"It's great," Abrams said. "It shows that putting in the work and staying disciplined pays off. I was on the fastball, and to be able to adjust to the offspeed makes me know I'm in a good spot."
It had been a struggle for Abrams leading into Sunday's contest. The ankle injury he suffered a few weeks back has been a factor. But in the midst of a career-best year, he was able to put an exclamation point on what he had accomplished by reaching the notable 30-homer plateau. Now, he just needs to more steals to get into the 30-30 club, which will really cement himself as one of the best offensive players in the sport. As for Wood, he has hit 30 home runs in back-to-back seasons. Following a tough second half last year, he put any concerns to bed with how he performed throughout this campaign.
It's clear the Nationals have something special on their hands with Abrams and Wood. It's up to the ownership group to make sure they remain in the nation's capital for the long haul.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai