Its great that Larry Walker made it in but no Lofton, Jones and Edmonds makes it hard for more modern voters to put a check by his name. However, I do also think there are a great many of his peers (both currently on the ballot, recently purged from it, and coming in the upcoming years) who I feel have better cases. In this piece, Ill recap Abreus productive career and attempt to answer the question of whether he has deserved better from the members of the BBWAA. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. He really could bat in any of the top 5 spots and be productive as proof he both scored 100 runs and/or 100 RBI in season 8 times. He was a great hitter. [43], In 2,425 games over 18 seasons, Abreu posted a .291 batting average (2,470-for-8,480) with 1,453 runs, 574 doubles, 59 triples, 288 home runs, 1,363 RBI, 400 stolen bases, 1,476 bases on balls, .395 on-base percentage and .475 slugging percentage. Abreu was involved in many events in the Philadelphia and Delaware Valley communities. 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. Konerko was always overlooked, even as a player. If you go by the all-encompassing WAR, hes right behind the two PED poster children (Bonds, A-Rod) and three players currently on the Hall of Fame ballot (Helton, Jones, Rolen), all of whom now seem likely to make the Hall of Fame in the next couple of years. 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. In fairness, there are three others who might have (probably would have) achieved this if not for player strikes making 150 games an impossibility: Pete Rose, Cal Ripken Jr., and Rafael Palmerio. Certainly, its easier to make room for a player like Abreu if youre a PED hard-liner (although these names arent really in order, Ive put Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez because of their PED links. Abreus first playoff game in Pinstripes went swimmingly; he went 2 for 5 with a double and 4 RBI in the teams 8-4 Game 1 victory. He has been a single-season league leader in games played (twice), doubles, and triples. Hes highly unlikely to come close this year. Abreu was courted by several teams, but he eventually signed a six-year, $68 million deal with the White Sox in October. He had 13 consecutive seasons in which he logged over 150 games and was a positive contributor (at least offensively) in all of those 13 campaigns. The only part of the all-around thats missing here is defense, which is rated as average by the metrics during his peak. While much of the attention among Phillies fans was on how newcomers to the ballot Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard fared, it is worth noting where one of their former teammates, Bobby Abreu, landed. This isnt to say that Abreu was a better offensive performer than Gwynn (the Padres legend toiled in pitchers parks and in a less super-charged offensive era) but that its a lot closer than their first-ballot Hall of Fame support (97.6% for Gwynn, 5.5% for Abreu). He was the Astros Minor League Player of the Year in 1996 and made his Major League debut on September 1, 1996, against the Pittsburgh Pirates. One of the best players in the history of Cuba, Abreu won the Cuban In 2001, Abreu led the NL in games played (162), and was third in walks (106), fourth in stolen bases (36) and doubles (48), and eighth in runs (118) and sacrifice flies (9). Now, Abreu hits in solitude for hours with the hope that his hard work will bring him closer to his new White Sox family, the city of Chicago and, one day, with loved ones he left back on the island. September 1, 1996 Meanwhile, his friends are like the lights on the side of the road as they brighten the walkway and make the stroll enjoyable. His family is his life. The name translates roughly to "the candy-eater", which had been his father Nelson Abreu's nickname. He was announced as a pinch hitter but did not get to bat because he was subsequently pinch hit for himself with Mike Simms. I play when Im hurt. If youre a mild Hall of Fame enthusiast, you might have read something like this in the postscript of the January 2019 BBWAA election of four players: the ballot is much less clogged in the next two years, with Derek Jeter the only obvious Hall of Famer becoming eligible in 2020 and no obvious candidates in 2021. If you read those exact words, thanks for visiting Cooperstown Cred. I stand by those words, that Jeter was the only obvious Hall of Famer among those who became first-time eligible in 2020 and that there was no obvious inductee among the newcomers for 2021. Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox MLB Original Autographed Items, Topps Bobby Abreu Baseball Sports Trading Cards & Accessories, Topps Jose Ramirez 2014 Season Baseball Sports Trading Cards & Accessories; Additional site navigation. [28] He was designated for assignment on August 1, 2012. Abreu was the 2004 recipient of the Phillies Community Service award and the Phillies' representative for MLB's Roberto Clemente Award. This article was originally posted in March 2019 and has been updated in advance of the 2023 vote. I never felt like I was watching a Hall of Famer when he was playing but he has a sneaky strong case thats based on being a really good offensive baseball player at a variety of aspects of the game while also being remarkably durable. Bobby helped his teams win for a LONG time. Abreu, the 2020 AL MVP, gets $19.5 million in each of the next three seasons. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'JN4lnktvTP9TFwhUEHMLWg',sig:'gPQjQK6ak5gI6Ro18TNGRfaKaUsE7Yyn7MLwiQff8g8=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'71510346',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); In 2006, Abreu got off to a slow start (by his standards). Gary Sheffield has tremendous hitting numbers; his WAR is similar to Abreus because of brutally bad defensive metrics. You need to add Craig Biggio. He is expected to be the successor to It was on July 11, 2005, at Comerica Park, that Abreu finally gained nationwide fame. Lets take a look at Abreus statistics in comparison with several other outfielders who hit the Hall of Fame ballot in the last 13 years. Regardless, when it comes to consistent durability, Abreu has a record thats hard to beat. Bobby Abreus peak was at the height of the PED era (1998-2004). He should be in the HOF. Todd Helton is not close to Bobby Abreu. Almost every eligible and non-PED-linked player with more times on base than Abreu is in the Hall of Fame except Rusty Staub. The point was that there are four people with 250 HR and 350 SB who are NOT in the Hall of Fame. Three of those seven are not in the Hall (Abreu, Barry Bonds, and his father Bobby). By comparison, Damons XBT% is 48% while Loftons is 55%. The beautiful couple has two children, a son Dariel Eduardo Abreu and their daughter's name has not been disclosed to the public. RELATED: Tim Anderson focused on positive energy for 2023 season Anderson has had Abreu as his first baseman for The Phillies actually improved after the Abreu trade and made a run for the National League wild card, only to be eliminated on the second to last day of the season. Abreu, who has spent his entire The two Abreu shares a professional relationship with each other. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. As you can see, Bobby Abreu does indeed have a strong argument for the Hall of Fame. 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. "You know, we definitely going to miss him. 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. 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. 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. Of course you want a team that is going to give you opportunities to be in the World Series and win the World Series. vs. Hed have 3000 hits easily. Should Sweet Lou Piniella be in the Hall of Fame? [1], In 2003, Abreu was fourth in the league in walks (109), seventh in sacrifice flies (7), eighth in OBP (.409), and ninth in stolen bases (22). In this program, the children got jerseys, coupons for concessions, and chances to meet Abreu on the field during batting practice. Tony Gwynn is considered one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, and Abreus numbers are right there with him, save for the fact that he hit fewer singles. On the perennially contending Yankees, that changed. Earlier, he used to play baseball for fun but later on, he decided to play it professionally and become a professional player of baseball. I think if we did that, Bobbys number would be almost identical to Vlads. They say I dont care I care., Bobby Abreu (July 2006),Philadelphia Daily News. By using the play index tool on Baseball-References Stathead, we can see that in the history of baseball, the only other player to log 150+ games in 13 consecutive seasons is Willie Mays. Anyway, on the 2023 ballot, these are the 9 other names I would check along with Bobby Abreus. The other two are Darrell Evans and Eddie Yost. Abreus strongest case is that he stole vastly more bases than most of the other hitters with a higher OPS+. What Abreu has is something that is slowly but surely being recognized throughout the game and that is the ability to get on base. Abreu is known as "El Comedulce" in Venezuela. Abreu dated former Miss Universe Alicia Machado; the couple later split, calling off their engagement.[47]. But, folks, the Hall is not small, and Ive voted for Abreu every year There are only three players in MLB history with at least 275 career home runs, 400 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .375 or better. Starting in 2014 and throughout his professional baseball career in the Houston Astros organization, Abreu has worked extensively with pitching coach Erick Abreu, who has also served in various levels within the Astros' minor league system. [1] Does Bryan Abreu Have A Brother? Not bad, but nothing that augments a Cooperstown resume. Only once (by Silver Slugger) was he recognized as the best-hitting right fielder in his league. How about a case for Konerko? Whether he is in the cage or in pre-workouts or on the field, he has a purpose, and you can tell this is a guy who takes what he does very seriously and wants to maximize his talent.". He delivered under-the-radar excellence over a long career though he was no Dwight Evans (whoshould be in the Hall). Himself, Barry and Bobby, and Derek Jeter. In His Final Season, Has CC Sabathia Crossed the Hall of Fame Finish Line?
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