CJ Abrams

A unanimous first-team selection on the 2019 Preseason All-America team, scouts have long been enamored with Abrams’ elite athleticism, running ability and bat-to-ball skills from the left side. A 6-foot-2, 180-pound shortstop out of Georgia, Abrams’ standout tool is his running ability. An 80-grade runner, Abrams gets out of the batter’s box well and posts sub-4.00 second run times regularly. He has impressive instincts and routinely gets solid jumps on the base paths as well. Abrams pairs that speed with a line-drive oriented swing from the left side, and he has tremendous feel for putting the barrel on the baseball. He rarely swings and misses, and because of those skills scouts think Abrams could become a plus hitter. He still has plenty of work to do in regards to pitch selection and developing a real plan of attack, however, and at times Abrams has shown a tendency to get overly aggressive in the box and chase pitches out of the zone. He has below-average raw power at the moment and scouts have questioned his power potential at times, but he has improved his strength enough to the point that it would be fair to project average power in the future as he continues to fill out. It also wouldn’t be shocking if Abrams eventually reaches above-average power because of his impressive hand-eye coordination and ability to consistently put the barrel on the ball in today’s home run-friendly environment at the Triple-A and major league levels. Either way, he should get plenty of extra-base hits thanks to his running ability. Where scouts are most conflicted on Abrams is his future defensive home. He made center field look tremendously easy during his time with USA Baseball’s 18U National Team last fall (when he also hit .297/.395/.324 in nine games), and he projects as a plus defender in the outfield. But he also has a chance to stick at shortstop, where he has quick footwork, plus range, solid glovework and adequate arm strength. He’ll need to improve his throwing accuracy if he wants to stay on the dirt, as well as his ability to throw from multiple angles and arm slots, but he’s shown the ability to do all of those things at time. Now, it’s just a matter of consistency. He should be given every opportunity to play shortstop at the next level, with the excellent fallback option of becoming a premium defensive center fielder. In all, there’s still some polishing to do with Abrams, but he brings tremendous upside as a potential table-setter at the top of the lineup with plus defensive potential at multiple premium positions. Abrams is committed to Alabama, but he is expected to go off the board quickly this June.