CJ Abrams Makes a Name For Himself

Before he became the first man in baseball history to homer in his first three at-bats, Joshua Baez of the Cardinals had a four-homer game in Triple-A . . .

At the opposite extreme, Kyle Tucker has been a $60 million boondoggle for the Dodgers, who watched the free agent signee struggle to reach the Mendoza Line since the All-Star break . . .

After three starts for the Dodgers, Tarik Skubal had yet to record his first National League victory . . .

Meanwhile, closer Edwin Diaz is back on the IL: he worked seven times before hitting the Dodger IL in April and undergoing surgery to address loose bodies in his elbow. He was Reinstated at the end of July, he has allowed 11 earned runs in 7 2/3 innings since coming off the IL and is now back on the list again, this time with neck problems . . .

In a baseball version of Whack-a-Mole, his arrival coincided with the return of Blake Snell, another lefty with two Cy Young trophies, who had made only one start over the first four months . . .

Max Fried never made more than 30 as a Brave because of a myriad of injuries but last year led the majors with 19 wins in 32 starts spanning 195 1/3 innings — all career peaks after signing an eight-year, $218 million free agent contract with the Yankees . . .

His elbow began to bark early in 2026, his second season in pinstripes, and eventually cost him nine weeks on the injured list — the first time around — and perhaps the rest of the season now that he’s sidelined again . . .

When the original Yankee Stadium opened in 1923, it was the first ballpark with a warning track instead of an incline that alerted outfielders they were approaching the wall . . .

Ace Atlanta southpaw Chris Sale could join Dazzy Vance (1928 Brooklyn Dodgers) as the only Lively Ball (since 1920) pitchers age 37 or older to post a sub-2.10 ERA and 200+ strikeouts in the same campaign.

By Andrew Sharp

[Editor’s Note: CJ Abrams was expected to play second base for the first time last night, but sprained his ankle and wasn’t in the lineup. Neither were James Wood, another injured All-Star, or the traded Luis Garcia, Jr. and Curtis Mead.]

Two-time All-Star CJ Abrams was named NL Player of the Month for July. The Nationals’ shortstop hit .348 with five doubles, 10 homers, 23 RBI and six stolen bases, scored 17 runs, had a .742 slugging percentage and posted a 1.149 OPS in 23 games.

Abrams, voted the NL’s starting shortstop for the All-Star game, also showed improved selectivity at the plate in July, walking 11 times. He had 42 bases-on-balls at the end of the month after walking just 37 times all season in 2025. His .360 on-base percentage was .45 higher than his lifetime mark.

Obtained from San Diego in the Juan Soto trade at the 2022 deadline, Abrams has been the Nats’ starting shortstop since then. Like Abrams, two others obtained in the trade –- James Wood and MacKenzie Gore -- also became all-stars for the Nats.

Nationals’ fans were relieved that Paul Tobani, the team’s president of baseball operations, resisted trade offers at the 2026 deadline, despite the swirling rumors about all the teams that wanted the 25-year-old shortstop.

Abrams frequently flashes brilliance in the field, although he makes too many bad throws and muffs more than his share on routine grounders. As a result, the Nats are moving him to second base this week, presumably for the rest of this season and beyond.

Still, his renewed focus and training, weight and diet have paid off this season as he has exceeded his career highs in all the frequently-cited offensive statistics, with more than a month to go in 2026.

His 29 homers rank second on the Nationals to the still-injured Wood’s 30. CJ’s 91 RBIs as of Aug. 18 was one behind the league leader.

Abrams is the second current National to be named Player of the Month. Daylen Lile was recognized for the honor in September 2025, paired with Lile also being named September’s Rookie of the Month.

Andrew Sharp is a retired newspaper journalist and a SABR member. He was raised in the D.C. area as a fan of Senators I and II. He blogs about D.C. baseball at washingtonbaseballhistory.com

By Dan Schlossberg

Tommy John once told me he’d rather have 12 more wins than have a surgery named after him.

The handsome Indiana native, who passed away last weekend at age 83, won 288 games over 26 seasons, one short of Nolan Ryan’s record for longevity. No pitcher not associated with steroids ever won more.

But the Hall of Fame never came calling, with writers instead considering John a compiler rather than a pitcher of Cooperstown caliber.

The four-time All-Star had a 3.34 career earned run average — excellent in the era of the designated hitter — and 46 shutouts, another stat that jumps off the page when compared to the current quick-hook days of 100 pitches or five innings, whichever comes first. He led his league in shutouts three times.

John went all the way 162 times — matching the number of games in a season — while reaching 20 wins three times, most recently with a career-best 22 for the 1980 Yankees.

He also pitched for the Indians, White Sox, Dodgers, Angels, and Athletics.

The soft-tossing southpaw averaged only 4.3 strikeouts per nine innings, never exceeding 138 in a season, and never stepped into the enormous shoes of strikeout artists Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, who preceded him with the Dodgers. That may be the reason he doesn’t share their wall space in Cooperstown.

Another reason for his absence could have been his failure to win a World Series ring. He reached the Fall Classic three times, posting a 2-1 record and 2.67 ERA, but never got to celebrate a world championship.

Just 31 when he tore his UCL during the 1975 season, John submitted to the elbow ligament transplant surgery that was then considered experimental. Performed by Dr. Frank Jobe, then team physician for the Dodgers, the operation worked, allowing the lefty to win 164 games after his return in 1977.

He never won a Cy Young but finished second in the voting twice — in ‘77 and again two years later.

“He did so much in the game,” said Ron Guidry, another star southpaw who wore Yankee pinstripes. “It was great having him on the team. He was so knowledgable.

“When we were together, we were pretty much 1-2 on the staff and having him around gave me great comfort. He would answer any question you had.”

Current Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who also recovered from Tommy John surgery, called the former Yankee a trailblazer. “What great perserverance he had, venturing into the unknown and writing the book — writing the script for how to push through it, overcome, and ultimately have success afterwards.”

Hundreds of hurlers, including Hall of Famer John Smoltz, have bounced back from the operation, in which a tendon from John’s right forearm was used to rewire his left elbow. Max Fried, the star southpaw on the Yankees staff, is also a survivor.

“I wouldn’t have been able to continue pitching without it,” John said, speaking for the growing fraternity that had the surgery.

Always available to the media, the well-spoken pitcher served as a broadcaster and minor-league manager after his retirement as a player in 1989.

HtP weekend editor Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ covers baseball for Lucas Communications, Sports Collectors Digest, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Byline USA, Memories & Dreams, and other outlets. His email is ballauthor@gmail.com.

Atlanta had won 11 straight games from the Twins before losing all three of this week’s series at Target Field, where they never even had a lead in any game . . .

The Braves began their current road trip in an offensive malaise similar to the one that afflicted them in the month of June, when the Phillies closed to within two games of the NL East lead . . .

Compounding the problem is the fact that Atlanta has the third-toughest remaining schedule, including the next six games against the Brewers and Dodgers . . .

When the Twins played in the Metrodome, players hated the 44 steps they needed to navigate between the field and the clubhouse — and Cal Ripken, Jr. figured out a way to make the run in 12 steps . . .

Kudos to the Brewers for their 22-0 win over Seattle that featured a nine-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth inning . . .

Consistency counts: Shohei Ohtani, still the front-runner in an MVP race that also includes Matt Olson and Pete Crow-Armstrong, has produced his eighth straight 30-homer season.

Here’s the Pitch is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles the Monday issue with Dan Freedman [dfreedman@lionsgate.com] editing Tuesday and Jeff Kallman [easyace1955@outlook.com] at the helm Wednesday and Thursday. Original editor Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com], does the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Former editor Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] is now co-director [with Benjamin Chase and Jonathan Becker] of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which publishes this newsletter and the annual ACTA book of the same name. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HtP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.