Blake Butera Addresses Lack of Hustle by CJ Abrams as Nationals Try to Build Culture
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There was plenty to celebrate following the Washington Nationals' Opening Day win on Thursday.
The historic showing this young group put together got the season off to a surprising start, and the hope is that what transpired during the opener can be present throughout the rest of the campaign. However, there was one negative moment in particular that stood out. And it has created a challenge for manager Blake Butera to deal with early on during his tenure.
In the top of the fourth inning, after the Nationals tied things up at two runs apiece, CJ Abrams stepped into the box with the bases loaded. The star shortstop ripped a ball down the right field line, but instead of running hard immediately after making contact, he stood there and posed thinking he had blasted a grand slam. While Abrams was able to knock in two runs to give Washington a 4-2 lead, he was thrown out when trying to reach second base because of his lack of hustle.
CJ Abrams Owned Up to Mistake He Made
How Butera would deal with this incident was a storyline after the contest ended. He talked about being accountable and doing the little things right, which was not on display by his star shortstop in Game 1 of his tenure. And when it didn't seem like Abrams was reprimanded for his actions, there were some questions if what Butera had said was all lip service.
However, the skipper didn't have to go out of his way to let Abrams know he made a mistake. Butera addressed the situation and told reporters, including Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, that Abrams immediately owned up to things after it happened.
"But he came in right away and just owned up to it and knew he made a mistake not getting out of the box quick and said 'that can't happen.' He wanted to fully own that mistake he made. He knows the culture we're trying to create here, the accountability piece," Butera stated. "The fact that none of us even had to go up to CJ, he came up to us on his own and felt horrible about it and said it won't happen again."
Setting the Right Culture Early Will Be Important for Blake Butera
In the context of this game, all's well that ends well. Despite getting thrown out at second base after not hustling out of the box, Abrams still gave Washington a lead they didn't relinquish. That allowed them to win on Opening Day and celebrate the first victory of this new era.
But what are things going to look like in the dog days of summer when the Nationals are struggling? Will players continue to be locked in and do the little things right or will they revert back to habits Butera and his coaching staff are trying to break?
Only time will tell, which is why it's paramount that the culture they want to establish is put in place early on so this doesn't become a potential issue down the line.
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