C. J. Abrams
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Paul Christopher Abrams Jr. (born October 3, 2000) is an American professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...
for the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022 with the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
. Abrams was named an
All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...
in 2024.


Amateur career

Abrams attended
Blessed Trinity Catholic High School Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, also known as Blessed Trinity or, informally BT, is an Archdiocesan Catholic high school in Roswell, Georgia, United States, a northern suburb of Atlanta. The multi-level curriculum provides Advanced Placeme ...
in Roswell,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. In 2018, he played for Team USA in the U-18 Pan-American Championships, making the All-Tournament team and helping the U.S. win the gold medal. As a senior in 2019, he was the Georgia Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year after hitting .431 with three
home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...
and 27
runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...
(RBI). He committed to play
college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...
at the
University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...
, but did not attend, opting instead for a professional career.


Professional career


San Diego Padres

Abrams was considered one of the top prospects for the
2019 Major League Baseball draft The 2019 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks ...
. The
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
selected Abrams in the first round, with the sixth overall pick. He signed with the Padres on June 8 for $5.2 million, and was assigned to the
Arizona League Padres The Arizona Complex League Padres or ACL Padres are a Minor League Baseball team based in Peoria, Arizona. The Padres compete in the Arizona Complex League as a rookie-level affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Peor ...
, where he hit safely in his first twenty games. In August, he was promoted to the
Fort Wayne TinCaps The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Minor League Baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The TinCaps compete in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Parkview Field. The TinCaps won the ...
. He was placed on the
injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...
four days following the promotion due to a shoulder injury. Over 34 games between the two clubs, Abrams batted .393/.436/.647 with three home runs, 22 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. Abrams did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Abrams was assigned to the Double-A
San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...
to begin the 2021 season. In June 2021, Abrams was selected to play in the
All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...
. In a June 30 game against the
Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned b ...
, Abrams collided with second baseman Eguy Rosario at second base attempting to field a ground ball up the middle and had to be helped off of the field. On July 4, Abrams was diagnosed with a fractured left tibia and sprained
medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), also called the superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL) or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint and occurs in ...
, ending his 2021 season. In 42 games with the Missions, Abrams had hit .296/.363/.420 with two home runs and 23 RBIs. On April 7, 2022, the Padres selected Abrams' contract, adding him to their
Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...
roster. He made his major league debut on April 8. On April 14, Abrams hit his first career home run off of
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
starter Charlie Morton.


Washington Nationals

On August 2, 2022, Abrams, along with James Wood, MacKenzie Gore,
Robert Hassell III Robert Harris Hassell III (born August 15, 2001) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected eighth overall by the San Diego Padres in the 2020 MLB draft. He was tra ...
,
Jarlín Susana Minor league players and teams affiliated with the Washington Nationals professional baseball organization include: Players Hyun-il Choi Hyun-il Choi (born May 27, 2000) is a Korean professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals org ...
and
Luke Voit Louis Linwood Voit III (born February 13, 1991) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New Yor ...
were
traded Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of credi ...
to the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
in exchange for
Juan Soto Juan José Soto Pacheco (born October 25, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, and New York Y ...
and Josh Bell. After the trade, Abrams was assigned to the Nationals' Triple–A affiliate, the
Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...
. He was promoted to the major leagues later that month and made his debut for the Nationals on August 15, 2022. In his first full season with the Nationals in 2023, Abrams established himself as one of the league’s most promising young shortstops, hitting .245 with 18 home runs and 47 stolen bases, while primarily batting leadoff. In 2024, Abrams was named to the National League All-Star Team, marking his first All-Star appearance. In 138 games for Washington, he slashed .246/.314/.433 with 20 home runs, 65 RBI, and 31 stolen bases. On September 20, 2024, Abrams was optioned to the rookie-level
Florida Complex League Nationals The Florida Complex League Nationals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Washington Nationals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to the 2021 season, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Nationals. The t ...
after reportedly staying up until 8 a.m. at a casino in Chicago on the same day the Nationals had a 1:20 p.m. game.


Personal life

Abrams is named after his father, Paul Christopher Abrams Sr. His father is known as "Chris"; the younger Abrams' nickname is short for "Chris Junior".


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrams, C. J. 2000 births Living people African-American baseball players Arizona League Padres players Baseball players from Fulton County, Georgia El Paso Chihuahuas players Fort Wayne TinCaps players Harrisburg Senators players Major League Baseball shortstops Rochester Red Wings players San Antonio Missions players San Diego Padres players Sportspeople from Alpharetta, Georgia United States national baseball team players Washington Nationals players 21st-century American sportsmen