Four years after the Juan Soto trade, the two former Padres draftees have helped Washington return to relevance.
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Four years ago, the Washington Nationals acquired CJ Abrams and James Wood from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto trade. They became the blocks the Nationals built around, the pair leading the team out of the depths of its rebuild to the brink of contention.
And now, the duo is heading to Philadelphia together for the MLB All-Star Game on July 14. Abrams was selected through the fan vote and will be the first starting shortstop in Nationals history. Wood will be an outfield reserve.
It’s the second selection for both of them, with Abrams making the National League team in 2024 and Wood in 2025.
“Me and James go way back to San Diego, and now we’re here doing our thing, so it’s going to be fun,” Abrams said.
Abrams is in the midst of a career season, hitting .270 with a .502 slugging percentage and .852 OPS. Each of those marks would be the best of his career if the season ended today.
He also has 18 home runs, just two shy of his career high, and 60 RBI, only five away from his career high. He began the day leading National League shortstops in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage.
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Wood entered Saturday hitting .267 with 22 home runs, the third-most in the league and the most among outfielders. He also had the most runs (76) and walks (66) among NL outfielders and the second-highest slugging percentage (.529) and OPS (.918).
“I’m just super grateful to be able to stay healthy and to have a good group of coaches and teammates around me. It’s helped me play at that level, and it’s been recognized, so it’s pretty cool,” Wood said.
Wood competed in the Home Run Derby last year and did not advance out of the first round. He said he is not sure whether he will participate again this year.
Both Abrams and Wood said, for their second all-star selections, they hope to be able to take it in a little bit more.
“The first time, it was like a whirlwind, so I think I’ll be able to slow it down a little more this time,” Wood said.
Wood and Abrams were the obvious candidates from the Nationals, but Foster Griffin is also putting together a great first half. Friday’s solid outing lowered his ERA to 2.87, the ninth best in the NL, and his 103⅓ innings ranked fourth. He still could sneak in as a replacement if a pitcher ahead of him decides not to participate.
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