Paul Christopher Abrams (born October 3, 2000) is an American
professional baseball shortstop for the
Washington Nationals of
Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022 with the
San Diego Padres.
Amateur career
Abrams attended
Blessed Trinity Catholic High School
Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, also known as Blessed Trinity or, informally BT, is an Archdiocesan Catholic high school in Roswell, Georgia, United States, a northern suburb of Atlanta.
The multi-level curriculum provides Advanced Placemen ...
in
Roswell,
Georgia. In 2018, he played for Team USA in the U-18 Pan-American Championships. As a senior in 2019, he was the Georgia
Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' a ...
after hitting .431 with three
home runs
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
and 27
runs batted in (RBI). He committed to play
college baseball at the
University of Alabama.
Professional career
San Diego Padres
Abrams was considered one of the top prospects for the
2019 Major League Baseball draft
The 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In additi ...
. The
San Diego Padres selected Abrams in the first round, with the sixth overall pick. He signed with the Padres on June 8 for $5.2 million, and was assigned to the
Arizona League Padres, where he hit safely in his first twenty games. In August, he was promoted to the
Fort Wayne TinCaps. He was placed on the
injured list
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL).
General guidelines
...
four days following the promotion due to a shoulder injury. Over 34 games between the two clubs, Abrams batted .393/.436/.647 with three home runs, 22 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. Abrams did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Abrams was assigned to the Double-A
San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded. ...
to begin the 2021 season. In June 2021, Abrams was selected to play in the
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...
. In a June 30 game against the
Corpus Christi Hooks, Abrams collided with second baseman
Eguy Rosario
Eguy Rosario (born August 25, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball infielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.
Career
Rosario signed with the San Diego Padres as an international free a ...
at second base attempting to field a ground ball up the middle and had to be helped off of the field. On July 4, Abrams was diagnosed with a fractured left tibia and sprained
medial collateral ligament, ending his 2021 season. In 42 games with the Missions, Abrams had hit .296/.363/.420 with two home runs and 23 RBIs.
On April 7, 2022, the Padres selected Abrams' contract, adding him to their
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
roster. He made his major league debut on April 8. On April 14, Abrams hit his first career home run off of
Atlanta Braves starter
Charlie Morton.
Washington Nationals
On August 2, 2022, Abrams, along with
MacKenzie Gore
MacKenzie Evan Gore (born February 24, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022 with the San Diego Padres.
Amateur career
Gore attended Whitevil ...
,
Luke Voit
Louis Linwood Voit III (born February 13, 1991) is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals.
Voi ...
,
Robert Hassell,
James Wood, and
Jarlín Susana
Minor league players and teams affiliated with the Washington Nationals professional baseball organization include:
Players
Jake Alu
Jacob Alu (born April 6, 1997) is an American professional baseball Infielder in the Washington Nationals or ...
were traded to the
Washington Nationals in exchange for
Juan Soto
Juan José Soto Pacheco (born October 25, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals.
Soto signed with the Nation ...
and
Josh Bell.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrams, C. J.
2000 births
Living people
People from Alpharetta, Georgia
Sportspeople from Fulton County, Georgia
Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state)
Major League Baseball shortstops
United States national baseball team players
San Diego Padres players
Washington Nationals players
Arizona League Padres players
Fort Wayne TinCaps players
San Antonio Missions players
El Paso Chihuahuas players
Rochester Red Wings players