Abreu, the 2020 AL MVP, gets $19.5 million in each of the next three seasons. [14] Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin called the trade "the Great Gillick Giveaway" and declared it "an unvarnished disaster." Among right fielders, this is 19th best alltime, and he is one of 191 players as of 2023 with a WAR over 60.[44][45]. You need to add Joe Morgan. He was voted a starter in the NL outfield for the All-Star Game, finishing second in fan voting, behind St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jim Edmonds. Agreed, Konerkos 28.1 WAR is surprisingly low, considering that 3 of his top 5 similarity score players are Willie Stargell, Orlando Cepeda, and Fred McGriff. On the other hand, he does have a sibling sister who likes to remain away from the spotlights; hence unknown to the public. Abreu was courted by several teams, but he eventually signed a six-year, $68 million deal with the White Sox in October. The truth is, there wasn't much left for the slugger to accomplish in Cuba. In baseball history, there are 87 players who have logged at least 10,000 plate appearances. The two Abreu shares a professional relationship with each other. Although Abreu is a worthy HOFer by todays metrics I do believe his biggest hurdle is the fact that so many other worthy outfielders from his era are a long way off as well. Bobby Abreu had 288 home runs over his career. Three of those seven are not in the Hall (Abreu, Barry Bonds, and his father Bobby). [19] However, after Vladimir Guerrero was moved to DH due to injury, Abreu saw more action at his natural position in right field. Yet despite routinely reaching traditional seasonal plateaus a .300 batting average (six times), 20 homers (nine times), 30 steals (six times), 100 runs scored and batted in (eight times apiece) he was ridiculously under-appreciated by the mainstream, making just two All-Star teams., Abreu is not a no-doubt Hall of Famer. I know that isn't exactly my case, but I know I give her that preference.". As a player who was perennially underrated, Abreu wasnt selected to the All-Star squad until 2004. In the 09 campaign, Abreu drove in 103 runs, scored 96, and stole 30 bases, all three marks which were second-best on the team. Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox hits an RBI single during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on September 15, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. As you can see, Abreu is very high on the list in multiple categories in a diverse portfolio of extra-base power, on-base ability, and the ability to swipe a bag. The problem with the positive aspects of Abreus Cooperstown case is that they involve comparisons to other players who are considered good candidates but are not yet in the Hall. Abreu dated former Miss Universe Alicia Machado; the couple later split, calling off their engagement.[47]. If youre not going to drive in a run but take your free base instead, its good to be able to score after taking the walk. WebRelated sponsored items. His swing is smooth, and he drives the teed-up ball toward the netting on the right side of the cage. Don't Laugh: Bobby Abreu's Hall of Fame Case - Cooperstown Should Donnie Baseball Be in the Hall of Fame? Bob Kelly Abreu was born on March 11, 1974, in Maracay, Venezuela. "A part of my family is still there, but thank God, my mom, dad, my sister and my brother-in-law are at a safe place. In his first eight superb seasons in Philadelphia, playing mostly for Francona and Larry Bowa, the durable Abreu averaged. He could steal bases at a remarkable rate for a big man (220 pounds), winding up with 400 stolen bases. Similarly, Byran used to admire and watch Justin Verlander on tv before, but now they are teammates and share the same playground. Alex Rodriguez broke the record shared by Abreu and McDougald by driving in seven runs in the sixth inning of 2009 regular season finale, also against Tampa Bay. "I'm a family-oriented person," Abreu said. [24] He cited the Angels manager, Mike Scioscia as one of the reasons, saying "He's one of those managers that lets you play the game, and he gives you big support." Bobby Abreu is one of the most underrated players in baseball history. [26] Abreu was released by the Angels on April 27, 2012 and replaced on the roster by future Rookie of the Year and MVP Award winner Mike Trout. Abreu fit well into the Yankees lineup. Abreu did only slightly better in 2021 (8.7%) and in 2022 (8.6%). On August 6, Abreu hit his 250th career home run when he led off the fifth inning with a solo home run off Chicago White Sox pitcher John Danks. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. It was his experience playing for Cuba in the World Baseball Classic and the success of Cuban players like Orlando Hernandez, Jose Contreras, Yasiel Puig, Aroldis Chapman and countless other stars from the island that convinced Abreu that he could do it, too. Does Jorge Posada Deserve a Closer Look for the Hall of Fame? He was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who duplicated Houstons mistake by trading him on the same day to the Philadelphia Phillies for shortstop Kevin Stocker. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'epYa9YLXQxpWGLnaMfug5A',sig:'QCNR_Q_hdPFD6MV-pK1kEoGmu0hYvJ77MumBHAYz_ow=',w:'594px',h:'414px',items:'81667860',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Abreu became a free agent after the 2008 season and signed with the Los Angeles Angels for 2009. He had his first official at-bat the following day against the St. Louis Cardinals when he flied out to left field as a pinch hitter in t Abreu was an incredibly player with an exceedingly rare skill set and is certainly worthy of serious Hall of Fame consideration. [27], On May 4, 2012, Abreu signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Exceeded rookie limits during 1997 season, More Bobby Abreu Pages at Baseball Reference. On the perennially contending Yankees, that changed. Baseball Prospectus noted, in its 2008 annual, that Abreu would go back on the ball with all the enthusiasm of a Roman convict being herded towards the lions den. As we implied previously, this was a criticism that helped to drive him out of Philadelphia. Dustin Pedroia Retires: Will he Make the Hall of Fame? He grew up playing stickball in his hometown Turnero, an impoverished village in the north-central part of the country. He loved baseball. He lives near the White Sox complex and rarely leaves the premises. I think not. [1] He is also one of only seven players ever to record at least 900 career extra-base hits and steal at least 400 bases along with Barry Bonds, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Craig Biggio, Honus Wagner, and Paul Molitor. Konerko was always overlooked, even as a player. Abreu was signed as an amateur free agent by the Houston Astros on August 21, 1990. He would have had more stolen bases, more times on base, more runs scoredbut he was even more valuable batting third or fourth, How many still-active players will, in the next 10 years, surpass what hes accomplished?. In 2001, he was the Honorary Chairman for the American Red Cross Blood Drive. Bobby Abreus peak was at the height of the PED era (1998-2004). He is not dating anyone. In his third season on the ballot, Abreu received just 8.6% of the vote after getting 8.7% last year. It's 1:45 p.m. on a Friday afternoon at Camelback Ranch, almost two hours after the day's workout has ended, and the only sounds at the facility are coming from souped-up trucks, sports cars pulling out of the players' parking lot and those poor balls being crushed by Abreu's bat. In most of the history of Hall of Fame voting, when it comes to corner outfielders, voters have looked for high-average hitters, home run hitters, or stolen base specialists. 3rd year on BBWAA ballot in 2021: Received 8.6% of the vote in 2022. Following Nelson's death, Abreu "began asking people to call him the same name as a way of honoring his father's memory."[48]. When all was said and done a respectable .279 average with 2340 hits, 439 homers, 1412 rbis, .841 ops but only a 28 WAR. Being active on Instagram, he often shares photos, reels, and day stories about his matches, to his 26.2K followers. Having said that, many people would argue that some of the other outfielders on this list are in fact worthy of the Hall of Fame. Despite only 15 home runs, he drove in 107 and scored 98 while drawing an MLB-best 124 bases on balls. Jos Dariel Abreu Correa (born January 29, 1987) is a Cuban professional baseball first baseman for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox . Abreu played in the Cuban National Series for Cienfuegos before his defection from Cuba in August 2013. Davey Johnsons Managerial Career and Cooperstown Credentials. Abreu would have become the Yankees' regular designated hitter, but Burnett vetoed the trade. Edmonds only played as many as 120 games (not 150) in 11 seasons. Hes getting overlooked. Nobody ever wrote, Abreu led the ______ to the postseason.. (Age 22-174d, Bobby Abreu. They say I dont play hard. On February 20, 2012, Burnett was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Yankees signed Ral Ibaez to be the DH. In the last 91 seasons (since 1928), only 2 players have slugged for 0.475 or more and stolen 400 or more bases Barry Bonds and Bobby Abreu. Also, Bobby put up those consistent numbers while rarely missing a gameplaying tired, playing hurt.that needs to be taken into consideration. You need to add Craig Biggio. Another proposed trade, which would have sent Abreu to the Cleveland Indians for Lou Marson, fell through. He was announced as a pinch hitter but did not get to bat because he was subsequently pinch hit for himself with Mike Simms. In that, his final baseball campaign, he hit .248 with a 97 OPS+ in 155 plate appearances. He also posted a .360 average with three homers and nine RBIs in six games for Cuba in last year's World Baseball Classic. Do you have a blog? As for Yost, he was a walking machine (1,614) but only accumulated 1,863 hits and 139 home runs compared to Abreus 288 and 2,470. [9], In 1998, his first season with the Phillies, Abreu led the team with a .312 batting average and collected 17 home runs, 74 RBI, and 19 stolen bases in 151 games, with 271 putouts and 17 assists in right field. David Ortiz: Lone BBWAA Inductee to the Hall of Fame Class of 2022, Cooperstown Cred 2022 Hall of Fame Virtual Ballot, Joe Nathan and the Cooperstown Closer Conundrum, Sammy Sosa Ends his BBWAA Balloting Far Away from Cooperstown, The Hall of Fame Case for and Against Tim Hudson, Kaat, Oliva Among Six New Hall of Famers Elected Today, The Hall of Fame Case For and Against Danny Murtaugh, First-time Candidates on the 2022 BBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot. He had good but not awesome power. Thanks for reading. Still, According to the website Wikileaks they mentioned that Brian and Bobby Abreu play baseball, their profession is the same, but they are not related. September 1, 1996 Was the replacement able to put up numbers anywhere nearly impressive a Larrys or Bobbys? On July 30, 2006, Abreu was traded along with Cory Lidle to the New York Yankees for minor league shortstop C. J. Henry (a 2005 first-round draft pick), left-hander Matt Smith (a seven-year minor league veteran), catcher Jesus Sanchez, and right-hander Carlos Monasteriosall low-level prospects in the Yankee organization. [17] On September 18, Abreu hit two home runs and had 6 RBI in a game versus the Chicago White Sox and Javier Vzquez. [8] His .446 career-high OBP was third in the league and he tied for the league lead in triples with 11.[1]. Billy Pierce: Star from the 1950s on the Golden Days Hall of Fame Ballot, Ken Boyer: Underappreciated Star, Hall of Fame Candidate, Ichiro Suzukis Uniquely Superb Hall of Fame Career. The two Abreu shares a professional relationship with each other. Abreu, who has spent his entire Javascript is required for the selection of a player. To keep up that kind of OBP for so long, while still contributing good power and stolen base ability, is a really rare, and really valuable, combination. He batted .297 with 15 home runs and 107 RBI in the 2006 season. The case of Evans (1,605 BB), an overlooked star third baseman from the 1970s and 80s, represents the challenge Abreu faces. How many still-active players will, in the next 10 years, surpass what hes accomplished? Abreu led the N.L. [32], On March 31, 2014, Abreu signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. 20 years later, the Tampa Bay Times Marc Topkin ranked it as the third-worst move in Rays history. When other players took days off, like in Larry Walkers case, who replaced him? Abreu doesnt fit into any of these buckets, falling just a little bit short with a .291 average, 288 taters, and 400 steals. Flix Hernndez: No Longer a Future King of Cooperstown. Even a casual baseball fan should know the name Bobby Abreu but I doubt very many of you have ever given a second thought to him being worthy of the Hall of Fame. Nine players who arent in the Hall have done it 4 times. The point of this boring story is that, to recognize the excellence of Bobby Abreu, you have to look at his all-around game. [34] He was designated for assignment on August 4 and officially released on August 10. Of these, five are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.[2]. He also set career lows (as a full-timer) with 8 HR, 60 RBI, and 54 Runs. November 29, 2022. [12] Abreu became the first Angels player to reach those figures in batting average and RBI in one calendar month since Tim Salmon, who hit .390 with 32 RBI in 27 games in July 1997. Of the players on this list, Vladimir Guerrero only needed two years to make the Hall, and Larry Walker finally made the Hall of Fame in 2020 in his 10th and final year on the ballot. He and Scott Rolen were the 2 best young hitters I ever saw, on the 1997-99 Phillies, and Curt Schilling the best young pitcher. The three Abreu's are playing for three different clubs and are all considered talented players in the field. As you can see, Bobby Abreu does indeed have a strong argument for the Hall of Fame. Without going into detail, I would say that, if you were to rank players from the 1990s and 2000s, virtually nobody would rank Abreu ahead of Vladdy or Ichiro. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. Off, like in Larry Walkers case, who has spent his entire Javascript is required for the slugger accomplish... 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