This month, Abrams learned a childhood dream would become reality: The Washington Nationals’ 23-year-old shortstop will be on the roster for the National League at the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Arlington, Tex. Upon hearing the news, Abrams called his dad but struggled to find the words to match the moment.
“I made it,” he said. Back in Georgia, Chris Abrams understood.
“Of course he wanted to make it, like any kid,” Chris Abrams said. “And as soon as he said, ‘I made it,’ I knew exactly what he meant. … He’s not a man of many words, but I could tell that he was super excited and a little emotional. He doesn’t show much, but at that point, you could see it on his face, like, ‘Wow, I actually made it.’”
Abrams and his dad talk at least once a day, sometimes more. The conversations help Abrams, who arrived in Washington in 2022 as part of the Juan Soto trade with San Diego, decompress after games. They avoid discussing the routine groundballs that turn into errors or the first-pitch swings he wished he had back. Instead, they focus on the highlight-reel catches or the multi-hit nights. In April, there was a lot that went well. But Chris was more proud of his son in May, when he struggled but made the necessary adjustments to have a better June. They knew the all-star nod was possible, but they weren’t sure he’d make the NL roster.
Then came the phone call, which Abrams said was full of laughs and fond memories of a rich, shared baseball life — such as when CJ, at 5, hit his first home run at a park in Georgia. Or when CJ, at 21, hit his first home run as a Padre. Or the nights from his childhood, when father and son would practice in the backyard as Chris yelled out dream scenarios: Game 7 of the World Series. The ninth inning of the All-Star Game.
A few minutes later, Chris said his son shifted his phrasing on the call from “I made it” to “We made it.” Abrams has always made sure to include his dad when discussing his accomplishments. It’s important to him to acknowledge that he doesn’t do anything on his own. Chris said the inclusion of others is something that most people don’t notice. But to Chris, that signals a moment is meaningful to his son. Indeed, after Abrams was announced as an all-star, the Nationals posted a video to social media that showed the third-year player choking up in the clubhouse as he thanked his teammates.
“The All-Star Game, he now knows it kind of validates who he is,” Chris said. “But he always felt like he belonged.”
Said CJ: “You just put in the work, and it all pays off. It shows up, and that’s why you do it. So just got to keep going.”
His all-star journey started last July, when Nationals Manager Dave Martinez moved him to the top of the batting order. He hit .327 that month with a .891 OPS and sparked Washington’s best stretch of the season. But he couldn’t sustain it.
“There was still a lot of unknowns last year, especially at the end of the year,” Martinez said. “It was this spring training where I saw a different guy — a guy that wanted to put the work in. His routine got better. … He had really, really unbelievable maturity this year.”
Chris said his son had three accomplishments on his big league checklist: Be an all-star. Win an MVP award. Play October baseball.
The third goal is what he wants most: to be in a stadium packed with screaming fans. Even in his individual accomplishment, he hasn’t lost sight of that. So on that same phone call with his parents about the all-star nod, Abrams shifted the conversation to what remained, what he believes is still in his future.
“To see him, and I guess us as a family, accomplish one of those checked boxes, that was really big,” Chris said. “It’s like, okay, this is unfolding as he tells me it will unfold. He would say, ‘This is the way it’s going to happen, Dad.’ … I used to tell him: ‘You’re already an MVP, and you’re already an all-star. You’re just spending the next 15 years showing people how you did it.’”
