New Technology Nationals Installed Has Helped CJ Abrams in One Key Area
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When Paul Toboni was hired to become the new president of baseball operations for the Washington Nationals, he had a clear mission of getting this franchise up to date when it comes to technology.
That journey included the introduction of Pulse armbands for pitchers, Trajekt hitting machines, bullpen TVs for instant feedback and other upgrades that were needed. Players have raved about how this has already helped them throughout camp and spring training, and the hope is this will carry over into the regular season.
Someone who has seen an immediate improvement in a key aspect of his game is CJ Abrams. And according to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required), the star shortstop has credited the Trajekt machine for that.
CJ Abrams Has Reduced His Chase Rate This Spring
"I'm just seeing the ball really well," Abrams said, "and I guess the Trajekt is helping a little bit."
His overall numbers this spring wouldn't necessarily suggest that. He is slashing .226/.351/.355 across 13 games with no home runs, two doubles, a triple and a singular RBI. However, he's drawn six walks compared to eight strikeouts, and a huge reason for that is the lack of chasing he's done.
The star shortstop chased pitches outside the zone 32.6% of the time last season, which put him in the 20th percentile. That is a massive difference from what he's done during spring training this year, as Abrams has chased pitches only 19.1% of the time, according to Thomas Nestico of TJStats.
Time will tell if this adjustment will take Abrams to the next level at the plate. If it does, that would be a scary thing for opposing pitchers since he's put up three straight seasons where he's hit around 20 home runs with 60-plus RBIs.
Trajekt Machines Caused CJ Abrams to Show Up Early to Camp
The excitement about the installation of this new technology has been palpable throughout spring training. And that not only has helped improve the performance of players thus far, but it also has impacted their mentality, as well.
"Abrams, meanwhile, said he arrived at camp early this year specifically because the organization added Trajekt machines in the cages at West Palm Beach," reported Nusbaum. "Before this year, the Nationals were one of just a few organizations left in baseball without the high-tech pitching machines, which replicate the movement and motion of the arms they see in games."
Under the leadership of Toboni, Washington is starting to shrink the gap between themselves and other organizations who have previously embraced technology long before this regime took over. Hopefully the results on the field improve as a result. But based on how certain players have performed so far this spring, that could be the case. And Abrams chasing pitches less often is an example of that.
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