Nationals Star CJ Abrams Takes Home His First Career Monthly MLB Award
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Washington Nationals star CJ Abrams has had great first halves in the past, but nothing compared to what he did this year.
Abrams, who was selected to his second All-Star Game, slashed .275/.352/.510 with 20 home runs and 67 RBIs. Those numbers either tied his career-high or set a new season-best mark, as his performance solidified his status as one of the best offensive players in the league, let alone at his position.
But, based on what's taken place previously, there were concerns that Abrams would cool off in the second half. However, not only has the 25-year-old silenced those concerns for now, his performance in the month of July earned him NL Player of the Month honors.
CJ Abrams Has Red-Hot July to Win NL Player of the Month
Abrams slashed a ridiculous .348/.408/.742 with 10 home runs and 23 RBIs across 23 games played. He led the National League in home runs, slugging percentage and OPS (1.150).
This is the first Player of the Month Award for Abrams. It's also the latest example of just how good he's been throughout this season, as he is now tied for the MLB lead in RBIs (84), is No. 8 in homers (28) and is No. 9 in wRC+ (148).
MLB's announcement that Abrams is their NL Player of the Month also comes at an interesting time. Contenders around the league have been interested in acquiring the star shortstop, but the Nationals' asking price is reportedly astronomical since they are not keen to move him barring a massive return package being offered.
Taking home this hardware should only help Washington when it comes to their negotiations about a trade for Abrams, although Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reported that president of baseball operations Paul Toboni and his front office "haven't spent much time internally on offers" that are centered around Abrams.
That aligns with what has been previously reported, and with just hours to go until the 2026 trade deadline passes, it seems like Abrams will remain on this roster for the rest of the season.
CJ Abrams Will Try to Stay Hot at the Plate
If that turns out to be the case, Abrams will try to keep up his incredible form to close out the year. While performing the way he did in July is certainly a tall task, avoiding a drop off that sees him putting up a wRC+ around 88 like he's historically done in his career during second halves would be a huge step forward.
The Nationals will be relying on Abrams' bat to close out the season after they traded away Luis Garcia Jr. and Curtis Mead, who both were well above the league average mark of 100 in wRC+. Whether or not he can keep things rolling remains to be seen, but he at least took home a well-deserved career-first with NL Player of the Month honors for what he did in July.
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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