Twenty-three-year-old shortstop CJ Abrams earned his first All-Star selection in a breakout third Major League season -- and those who have played with him up to this point are not surprised.

After opening last season as the third-youngest player in the league, Abrams provided a glimpse of what was to come this year. He finished 2023 by setting a Nationals team record (2005-present) in stolen bases, and he became one of seven shortstops in Major League history to hit at least 15 homers and steal 45 bases in the same season.

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The Nats shared the strides they saw Abrams make from season to season to stamp his ticket to the 2024 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at 8 p.m. ET, in Arlington.

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2B Luis García Jr.: “Everybody knows he has a lot of talent. The moment he came in here [in Spring Training], he was working a lot in the cage, he was working on his defense. He came in early every day. I’d say, ‘Something good is coming this season.’ … Everyday he was coming early. He came in with me at like 5:45 a.m. Last year, we got there at 7 a.m. But when you go early at Spring Training, it’s going to help you a lot … He’s an All-Star now. After that, maybe there’s a couple more things for him.”

LHP MacKenzie Gore: “Obviously you’re going to look at numbers as why he got better, but nothing he’s doing is surprising. … [When he got drafted by the Padres], everybody just assumed because he’s not huge, he didn’t have pop. But he had pop. He was fast, super athletic. I think he’s just putting it all together on the field. We’ve always seen it off the field in his work. Now it’s kind of coming together. None of this surprises me, and he’s just getting started.”

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RHP Josiah Gray: “[The biggest stride he made to become an All-Star] is the diligence in his preparation and the way he carries himself to try to get better every day. It's not a lot of times you see him just kind of at his locker -- he's always doing something, he’s working. I think that's propelled him from being an exciting player when he first came to the Nats in ‘22, to being an All-Star this year. I think we all can agree that the future is really bright and he's destined for a lot of great things.”

RHP Trevor Williams: “We could see it last year, too, the way he finished. I think coming into Spring Training this year, you could see that there was a growth and maturity where he was ready to take this team as his own and be that natural-born leader that he is. To see a guy as young as he is play shortstop every day for us, take really good professional at-bats for us and be that cornerstone of our infield is huge. He’s going to be a perennial All-Star, and for him to get his first [All-Star honor] is huge for him.”

CF Jacob Young: “I think a lot of it is just comfort. I think he kind of figured out more about who he is. Obviously, when he started leading off last year is kind of when took off -- everyone knows -- and I think that just kind of built into this year. He had a lot of confidence in Spring Training and coming in from last year. I think he had another year of what he was working on with his swing and was able to develop another year of it. I think that confidence at the plate just kind of took over onto the games.”

LHP Robert Garcia: “I only got to play with him for two months last year ... the last two months, I thought he played very well. I think that he just carried it into this year and through a full season. He’s very engaged. The ability that he has to play every day is crazy. He keeps his body healthy, keeps his body going. I think that’s the biggest thing for a shortstop like him -- having him in the lineup and on the field every day and healthy is amazing.”