CJ Abrams and James Wood look like real All-Stars for the Nationals

For the first time in years, the Washington Nationals have multiple legitimate All-Star level players

Over the last couple years, the Washington Nationals All-Stars have mostly been there to fill the quota. Josiah Gray had a strong first half in 2023, but if he was on a different team, would it be All-Star caliber? While CJ Abrams might have made the All-Star game regardless of team, that is also up in the air.

However, this year the Washington Nationals have two slam dunk All-Stars in Abrams and James Wood. It is exciting to see star power return to DC. Back in the 2010’s, it was no surprise to see multiple Nats starting the All-Star game. Hopefully, we can return to those ways before too long.

CJ Abrams looks poised to make back to back All-Star teams. He has been one of the best offensive shortstops in all of baseball. Abrams is second among shortstops in OPS, first in slugging and tied for fourth in homers. He has been a consistent threat in a Nats offense that desperately needs it. Even when the rest of the offense couldn’t do a thing during the seven game losing streak, Abrams was still hitting. So far this season, he has found the consistency he had been missing in his game.

The other All-Star is the Nationals crown jewel James Wood. Our 22 year old star is fifth in OPS and third in homers among all outfielders. His ridiculous physical gifts combined with a strong approach have made Wood a star in his first full season in the big leagues. Wood has left opposing announcers in shock multiple times this season. He is the Nationals boogyman.

It is worth noting that both of these players came in the Juan Soto trade. So did MacKenzie Gore, who could also be in All-Star talks if he strings together a couple good starts here.

The Washington Nationals have built a core of guys who can be future and current All-Stars from that trade. Now the job of GM Mike Rizzo is to surround those guys with enough talent to get the Nats back into the promised land that is the playoffs.

We need urgency as well. As we have seen with the O’s, even a great young core isn’t enough if you don’t surround them with the right pieces. The Nationals now have that core and two of them are likely to be All-Stars. Over the next year or so, it is on the Nats brass to surround these guys.

James Wood likely has All-Star starts in his future, and Abrams should be at the event frequently over the next few years. These are the guys the Nationals need to build around. They also have choices, especially with Abrams. Should he stay at shortstop, or would his skillset be better served in the outfield or at second base. Right now he is a negative defender at short, yet is still an All-Star due to his bat and legs. With how guys like Jackson Merrill and Javier Baez look in the outfield, I wonder what a great athlete like Abrams could look like out there.

Regardless, it is great to see the Nationals have real All-Stars again. We are no longer debating if Josiah Gray or Lane Thomas should be the guy to represent the team at the midsummer classic. While the Nats rebuild still needs a lot of work before completion, it is nice to see the star power the team now possesses.