Bobby Abreu
Bob Kelly Abreu, nicknamed "El Comedulce" and "La Leche", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets.
Abreu is a two-time All-Star, and has won a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award. He has been a single-season league leader in games played, doubles, and triples. He had two seasons in which he collected thirty home runs and thirty stolen bases, making him one of thirteen players to have achieved the 30–30 club twice in a career. Through 2014, Abreu led active ballplayers in doubles, walks, and outfield assists, was fifth in runs scored and stolen bases, seventh in extra-base hits and on-base percentage, and tenth in runs batted in. 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. Of these, five are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Career
Houston Astros
Abreu was signed as an amateur free agent by the Houston Astros on August 21, 1990. 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. He was announced as a pinch hitter but did not get to bat because he was subsequently pinch hit for by Mike Simms. 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 the top of the sixth inning. After a few more appearances as a pinch hitter or late inning defensive replacement, he made his first start in left field against the Colorado Rockies on September 6, going hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts. Abreu's first Major League hit was a single to right field as a pinch hitter against Bobby Jones of the New York Mets on September 24. He finished his first season with five hits in 22 at-bats. He hit his first two home runs in the same game on April 28, 1997, against Jamey Wright and Steve Reed of the Colorado Rockies. He played in 59 games for the Astros in 1997, hitting.250 with three home runs and 26 RBI.Left unprotected in the 1997 MLB Expansion Draft when the Astros decided to keep fellow Venezuelan outfielder Richard Hidalgo, Abreu was selected by the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays, only to be dealt hours later to the Phillies for shortstop Kevin Stocker, a trade regarded among the worst in MLB history.
Philadelphia Phillies
1998–2003 seasons
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.In 1999, Abreu made a brief run at the batting title. His.335 career-high average that season ranked third in the National League and was the highest posted by a Phillies player since outfielder Tony González hit.339 in 1967. His.446 career-high OBP was third in the league and he tied for the league lead in triples with 11.
In 2000, Abreu finished fourth in the league in triples, sixth in doubles, seventh in walks, and ninth in OBP. Abreu became the first Phillie outfielder since Greg Luzinski with back-to-back 20 homer seasons. In 2001, Abreu led the NL in games played, and was third in walks, fourth in stolen bases and doubles, and eighth in runs and sacrifice flies. He also hit a career-high 31 home runs and had a career-high 110 RBI.
For the 2002 season, Abreu led the league in doubles, and was sixth in walks, seventh in stolen bases and intentional walks, eighth in OBP, ninth in hits, and tenth in runs. In 2003, Abreu was fourth in the league in walks, seventh in sacrifice flies, eighth in OBP, and ninth in stolen bases.
2004 season
In 2004, Abreu got his first All-Star berth, being voted in as the National League All-Star Final Vote winner in online voting on MLB.com.Abreu hit the first home run at Citizens Bank Park on Opening Day, April 12, 2004. He finished the season with a.301 average, 30 home runs, and 105 RBI, and ranked among the National League top five in five offensive categories: runs -- the third time in six years that he scored 118 runs, doubles, stolen bases, walks and on-base percentage. Abreu became the first player in major league history to record 30 home runs, 40 doubles, 40 stolen bases, and 100 walks in a single season. He also led the Major Leagues in pitches-per-plate-appearance and number of pitches seen, was eighth-highest in the league in total bases, and posted the league's tenth-best OPS.
2005 season
In May, Abreu was honored as the Player of the Month in the National League, after he hit.396 and 11 home runs. He also led the NL for the month in slugging average, on-base percentage, and walks and was tied for the league lead with 30 RBI. He became the first player in Major League history to hit at least one home run in nine out of ten team games.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. Prior to the All-Star Game at Comerica Park in Detroit, Abreu won the Home Run Derby as he set records with 24 home runs in a single round, and 41 overall, topping Miguel Tejada's previous marks of 15 and 27 set one year earlier. Abreu's longest homer was measured at 517 feet, the third longest in Derby history.
New York Yankees
2006 season
On July 30, 2006, Abreu was traded along with Cory Lidle to the New York Yankees for minor league shortstop C. J. Henry, left-hander Matt Smith, catcher Jesus Sanchez, and right-hander Carlos Monasterios—all low-level prospects in the Yankee organization. Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin called the trade "the Great Gillick Giveaway" and declared it "an unvarnished disaster." 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 fit well into the Yankees lineup. He batted.297 with 15 home runs and 107 RBI in the 2006 season. The Yankees ran away with the AL East division title by mid-September 2006, but were eliminated by the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 American League Division Series.
In 2006, Abreu led the major leagues in walks, pitches per plate appearance, and number of pitches seen, and was second in the major leagues in percent of plate appearances that were walks, and led the AL in percentage of pitches taken, and in walks per plate appearance, third in batting average on balls in play, eighth in on-base percentage, 18th in stolen bases, and 19th in doubles.
On September 12, 2006, Abreu drove in six runs in the first inning of the Yankees' 12–4 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Abreu began the 9-run inning by homering with Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter on base, then concluded it with a bases-loaded double that scored Hideki Matsui, Melky Cabrera and Jeter. The six RBIs tied Gil McDougald's 55-year franchise record for most in one inning. 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.
2007 and 2008 seasons
After getting off to a slow start in, Abreu finished the season strong putting up 101 RBI, 16 home runs and a.283 batting average. In 2007, Abreu was second in the AL in runs, third in pitches per plate appearance, ninth in games and times on base, and tenth in walks and plate appearances.Abreu hit a walk-off double on July 9, 2008, against the Tampa Bay Rays. On September 18, Abreu hit two home runs and had 6 RBI in a game versus the Chicago White Sox and Javier Vázquez. He finished the season with a.296 average, 20 home runs, and 100 RBI. He had the last stolen base in the original Yankee Stadium on September 21, 2008.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2009 season
On February 12, 2009, Abreu signed a $5 million, one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and was expected to play left field. However, after Vladimir Guerrero was moved to DH due to injury, Abreu saw more action at his natural position in right field.After struggling early in the season, Abreu hit.380 with 28 RBI in 26 games in July and was named the American League Player of the Month. 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.
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. Abreu became one of only six players in major league history to collect 250 home runs, 2,000 hits, 1,000 runs, 1,000 runs batted in, 1,000 walks and 300 stolen bases. In 2009, he led the AL in errors by an outfielder, with 8.
Though Abreu stated that he enjoyed his season with the Angels and was credited with helping many of the team's younger players to improve their swings and patience at the plate, he turned down a two-year, $16 million extension on his contract on October 15.
2010–2012 seasons
On November 5, 2009, the first day eligible players could file for free agency, Abreu accepted a two-year deal with the Angels, with a club option for 2012. 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." He also noted the organization publicly recognized his career achievements and consistently delivered opportunities to succeed in the postseason, saying, "This is a team that gives you an opportunity always to be in the playoffs. This time, my first time with them, I was very close to getting to the World Series, so why not stay? Of course you want a team that is going to give you opportunities to be in the World Series and win the World Series. I don't want to take a chance with someone else."During the 2011–2012 offseason, the New York Yankees proposed a trade to the Angels that would have sent starting pitcher A. J. Burnett to Anaheim for Abreu. Abreu would have become the Yankees' regular designated hitter, but Burnett vetoed the trade. On February 20, 2012, Burnett was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Yankees signed Raúl Ibañez to be the DH. Abreu was already annoyed that he would not be playing every day for the Angels, and when he learned what Burnett had done, he ordered Angels' management to either play him every day as the designated hitter or trade him. Another proposed trade, which would have sent Abreu to the Cleveland Indians for Lou Marson, fell through. 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.