{"id":4605,"date":"2026-06-21T12:39:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T12:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4605"},"modified":"2026-06-21T12:39:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T12:39:26","slug":"cj-abrams-focused-on-fixing-himself-and-became-a-team-leader-in-the-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4605","title":{"rendered":"CJ Abrams focused on fixing himself and became a team leader in the process"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CJ Abrams is on track to make his second all-star team. (Rafael Suanes\/Imagn Images\/Reuters Connect)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Earlier this season, Luis Garc\u00eda Jr. looked across the clubhouse at CJ Abrams and paused.<\/p>

Read more Dining on \u2018cheese and grease,\u2019 World Cup visitors cut costs the American way<\/a><\/p>\n

Abrams and Garc\u00eda are 25 and 26 years old \u2014 separated by less than five months. Yet Garc\u00eda has seen Abrams as a \u201clittle kid\u201d since he was traded to the Washington Nationals in 2022.<\/p>\n

Abrams wasn\u2019t necessarily undisciplined, although there were a few notable moments, including a late-season option in 2024 over an \u201cinternal issue.\u201d<\/a> But Abrams wasn\u2019t exactly the last one to leave the clubhouse every night.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all changed this year, Garc\u00eda said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, he\u2019s grown up,\u201d Garc\u00eda said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just Garc\u00eda who\u2019s noticed. Abrams is showing a level of maturity that his teammates, coaches and family haven\u2019t seen before. He\u2019s eating better, training harder and leading a young team that\u2019s exceeding every expectation set for them.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s impacting his performance. The shortstop hitting .283 with an .886 OPS and 56 RBI, already nearing the season high of 65 he set in 2024. He\u2019s in position to make his second National League all-star team next month, potentially even as a starter. He was leading the fan vote in the first update that was released Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been super impressed with who he is, the person he is as a player, a teammate, a leader,\u201d Manager Blake Butera said. \u201cThe way he goes about his business. The way he\u2019s taking care of his body.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Abrams changed everything about his routine and is seeing dividends at the plate and on the stat sheet. (Rafael Suanes\/Imagn Images\/Reuters Connect)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

This change didn\u2019t happen overnight, but it did start with a shift early in the offseason. Instead of taking October off, as he typically would do, Abrams reported to Maven Baseball Lab in Atlanta right after last season. It was so early that Abrams\u2019s winter training partners, who include Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Cedric Mullins and Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson, hadn\u2019t reported yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were surprised. It was like, \u2018Shoot, you\u2019re the only one down here,\u2019\u201d Chris Abrams, CJ\u2019s father, recalls the Maven staff saying. \u201cHe was like, \u2018It\u2019s time for me to take the next step.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a conclusion, Chris said, that CJ came to on his own. Abrams, a first-round pick by the Padres in 2019, had put together a solid r\u00e9sum\u00e9 in his first four major league seasons, including an all-star selection in 2024. But he knew that he had more in him \u2014 and that it would take a more disciplined approach to get there.<\/p>\n

So in addition to beginning his offseason progression earlier, Abrams started taking his diet more seriously. He\u2019s always been small and able to eat whatever he wanted, but to maintain his desired weight in-season, he knew he needed to start eating more. He still eats his hamburgers but adds a side of broccoli now. Abrams has protein shakes before and after games and forces himself to snack when he\u2019s not hungry. Garden Salsa Sun Chips are his go-to.<\/p>

Read more New Zealand crush England by 253 runs in 2nd test at The Oval as Henry rips through the tail<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really structure it,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I\u2019m hungry, I eat a lot. When I\u2019m not, try to snack as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t cook, and keeping groceries in season isn\u2019t viable with the travel anyway, so he orders his postgame meal on DoorDash \u2014 pasta, usually, but if he can find a steak, he\u2019ll snag that. The team has a meal ready for players after the game, but because Abrams now spends so much time in the weight room and with the training staff taking care of his body, he usually misses it.<\/p>\n

The routine takes so long, he now is<\/i> one of the last to leave the clubhouse every night, with only James Wood or Curtis Mead occasionally staying later.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s also shifted. Abrams, who is one of the more experienced position players, has a trail of players who are starting to replicate his routine. It\u2019s something Butera noticed earlier this season, so much so that he pulled Abrams aside to tell him.<\/p>\n

Whether he liked it or not, Butera told Abrams, his teammates were following his lead. What he did with that information, Butera said he told Abrams, was his decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he wants to be a leader, that\u2019s up to him,\u201d Butera said. \u201cWe can\u2019t force him to do that, but he\u2019s taken some of those steps on his own to start leading.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being seen as a leader is \u201cbig,\u201d Abrams said. He\u2019s on the quieter side, so for him, that looks different than someone who\u2019s comfortable standing up in the middle of the clubhouse giving a passionate speech. He prefers to take players aside, sharing tips about his approach or how a pitcher might attack them.<\/p>\n

\u201cLearning from a guy who\u2019s so young like that and has the confidence he has \u2014 I mean, it\u2019s pretty cool,\u201d outfielder Daylen Lile said.<\/p>

Read more Argentina may have America to thank for Lionel Messi\u2019s latest World Cup heroics<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Abrams changed his offseason routine, diet and workout approach. 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