Bobby Abreu
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Bob Kelly Abreu [ah-BRAY-oo] (born March 11, 1974 in Maracay, Aragua State, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball right fielder who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.
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Career
Abreu started his major league career with the Houston Astros on September 1, 1996. He played only 74 games over two seasons. Left unprotected in the 1997 expansion draft when Houston decided to keep fellow Venezuelan outfielder Richard Hidalgo, Abreu was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but minutes later he was traded to the Phillies for shortstop Kevin Stocker.
Despite the fact that Astros and Devil Rays both deeming him expendable, Abreu firmly established himself as one of the most promising young hitters and strong-armed rightfielders in the game.
In his first season with the Phillies, Abreu led his 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 he made a brief run at the batting title. His .335 average that season ranked third in the National League and was the highest posted by a Phillies player since outfielder Tony Gonzᬥz hit .339 in 1967.
In 2001 Abreu reached career highs in home runs (31) and RBI (110), and hit .308 in 2002 and .300 a year later. Finally, in 2004, he got his first All-Star berth. Abreu finished the season with .301, 30 home runs and 105 RBI, and ranked among the National League top five in five offensive categories: runs (4th, 118), doubles (4th, 47), stolen bases (3rd, 40), walks (2nd, 127) and on base percentage (5th, .428). He also posted the league's tenth best OPS (.971) and eight highest in total bases (312).
In a nine-year career, Abreu is a .305 hitter with 166 home runs and 674 RBI in 1167 games.
Highlights
- All-Star (2004)
- Silver Slugger Award (2004)
- Led league in doubles (50, 2002)
- Led league in triples (11, 1999)
- Led league in power/speed number (34.3, 2004)
- 6-time hit .300 or more in seven regular seasons (1998-2000, 2002-04)
- Twice reached the 30-30 club (2001, 2004)
- 7-time top 10 in walks (1998-2004)
- Led league in games played (162, 2001)
- Rested only in 12 games in four consecutive seasons (2001-04)
- 210 career stolen bases (ranks him 25th among active players)
- .412 career on base percentage (6th among active players, 30th on all-time list)
- .517 career slugging average (25th between active players, 62nd on the all-time list)
- .929 career OPS (18th among active players, 39th on the all-time list)
2005 season
- In May, Abreu was honored as the Player of the Month in the National League, after hit .396 and 11 home runs. Abreu also led the NL in slugging average (.792), on-base percentage (.535), walks (30) and was tied for the league lead with 30 RBI. He also became the first player in major league history to hit nine home runs in a 10-game stretch.
Facts
- The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum displays the bat used by Abreu to hit the first home run in the Phillies? new ballpark, Citizens Bank Park on April 12, 2004.
- With his solo home run in the eighth inning of Phillies 5-1 victory over the Mets on July 16, 2004, Abreu joined Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds and Barry Bonds by reaching the elite 20-homers/20-stolen bases plateau for a sixth straight season. That quartet are the only players to have six straight 20-20 seasons in MLB history. Abreu also converted in the only member of the quartet with no family connection to Barry, his dad Bobby, or his godfather Willie.