The Nationals didn’t go out and import veteran voices this offseason. They already had two young ones in the clubhouse, and CJ Abrams and James Wood have spent the season making that bet look pretty sharp.
Abrams, 25, and Wood, 23, have both turned in All-Star seasons, and each has climbed to the top of the statistical conversation at his position. More than that, they’ve paired production with a kind of rare shared pace that puts them in some very small company.
Abrams’ latest milestone came in Saturday’s 5-3 win over the D-backs, when he launched his 25th homer of the season. Wood had already reached 25 home runs before the All-Star break, and that puts the two Nationals in a class of their own this year: they are the only players in baseball with at least 25 home runs and 15 stolen bases.
The numbers get even more striking when you zoom out. Abrams has 25 home runs and 17 stolen bases, while Wood has 28 homers and 15 steals.
That combination made them just the second duo in Major League history to post 25-plus home runs and 15-plus stolen bases in their club’s first 105 games of a season. The only other pair to do it was Francisco Lindor and José Ramírez with Cleveland in 2018.
And there’s another layer to the accomplishment. Abrams and Wood are the first teammates 25 or younger to each hit at least 25 home runs in their team’s first 105 games. The only other pairs to reach that mark together were Lindor and Ramírez, Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado with the 2016 Rockies, and Bob Allison and Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew with the 1959 Senators.
In Other News...
Nationals Suddenly Face A Trade Deadline Twist Few Fans Expected
The trade deadline picture in Washington has shifted in a way few expected a few weeks ago. Sitting at 52-52 and still hanging around the wild-card race, the Nationals are no longer approaching the market as a club focused only on subtraction, and they are now evaluating ways to bring in at least one big-league player who can help right away.
The needs are obvious enough: the bullpen has been a problem, and the rotation still leaves plenty of questions if the season stretches into October. Even while the front office continues to listen on some current major leaguers, the bigger question now is whether the Nationals can thread the needle between staying competitive and making the kind of deadline move that actually changes their outlook. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Fans Have A Real Reason To Watch This Rehab Start Closely
Trevor Williams rehab assignment in Rochester gave Nationals fans a useful checkpoint on a pitcher the club will be tracking closely, even if the Red Wings came up short in a 7-6 loss to Buffalo. Around the system, there were brighter notes: Harrisburg blanked Reading 3-0 behind a strong staff effort, Wilmington rolled past Hudson Valley 9-1, and Fredericksburg handled Fayetteville 4-1.
The developmental side of the organization had a few small milestones worth noting, too, with Miguel Sime Jr. picking up his first career win for Wilmington and Juan Reyes earning his first Low-A win for Fredericksburg. The DSL Nationals also saw a three-game winning streak end in a 6-4 loss to the DSL Mets Orange, a reminder that even on a busy night across the affiliates, the most closely watched box score was the one tied to a big-league arm trying to work his way back. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Fans Just Got A Better Way To Track Game Day Weather
Fans keeping an eye on the Nationals this season will have a more focused weather guide built into the teams game-day coverage. Washingtons reporting around Nationals Park is teaming with Capital Weather to deliver forecasts aimed specifically at the ballpark, giving readers a clearer sense of what conditions could mean for a given night at the yard.
The new setup centers on NatCast, a forecast product designed for days when weather could affect the game, and it will be folded into The Nats Reports previews and live updates. The idea is to keep fans informed as conditions change, whether the concern is a delay before first pitch, storms moving nearby, or weather shifting once the game is underway. [Read more 🡒]