25 posts tagged “bobby abreu”
Bobby Abreu has signed a one-year deal worth around $5 million with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
I have always been a fan of Abreu. I think he was one of the most underrated players in the game, and his stats as a Yankee prove that. He was never one of the most celebrated players, but at the end of the year, his numbers were solid. That said, a $5 million contract is way too little for a player of Abreu's caliber (is it fair that Gil Meche makes twice that amount?).
Here's hoping Bobby has a solid year with the Angels.
With the arbitration deadline looming (in fact, it's today), the Yankees have a plethora of decisions they need to make on some key players.
Anthony McCarron of the Daily News furthers:
"Pettitte would likely earn around the $16 million he's pocketed the last two seasons if he accepts arbitration, but it seems unlikely the Yanks will offer it - if they wanted to pay Pettitte that much money, he'd likely already have been re-signed. Instead, the team wants him to take a pay cut after a 14-14 season."
Bobby Abreu is also seeking a three-year deal. Others, such as Jason Giambi, will probably not be offered arbitration.
Whichever way you look at it, the Yankees have a lot of decisions to make within their organization. And that's not even including the free-agent market.
| Last 3 years | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | |
| 2006 | NYY | 58 | 209 | 37 | 69 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 42 | 33 | 52 | 10 | 2 | .330 | .419 | .507 | .926 | |
| 2007 | NYY | 158 | 605 | 123 | 171 | 40 | 5 | 16 | 101 | 84 | 115 | 25 | 8 | .283 | .369 | .445 | .814 | |
| 2008 | NYY | 156 | 609 | 100 | 180 | 39 | 4 | 20 | 100 | 73 | 109 | 22 | 11 | .296 | .371 | .471 | .843 | |
| Career | 1799 | 6490 | 1174 | 1946 | 454 | 53 | 241 | 1084 | 1160 | 1405 | 318 | 103 | .300 | .405 | .498 | .902 |
Bobby Abreu signed a $16 million dollar contract before the season began. In my opinion, he lived up to his contract.
Statistically, Abreu had a better season in 2008 than he did in 2007. He hit for a higher average, a higher on base percentage, and a higher slugging percentage. While he started off slow, Abreu really picked it up in the second half. Very few right fielders in the league put up the numbers he did in 2008.
A lot of Yankee fans are against the idea of resigning Abreu, but I hope that they do. He will be 35 years old next year, but as he showed this year, he is still capable of putting up solid numbers. There is also no right fielder on the market capable of putting up the type of numbers Abreu is.
While his defense was sometimes suspect, Abreu proved to be an anchor to the top of the Yankees' lineup this year. In his time as a Yankee, he has always driven in runs and hit for a decent average. What more can you ask?
Final Score: Yankees 6, Red Sox 2
Yankees: 89-72
Red Sox: 94-67
W- Mussina (20-9)
L- Matsuzaka (18-3)
SV- Rivera (39)
Offense: The Yankees got off to a nice lead, when Xavier Nady hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning. With the Yankees up 3-0, it allowed Mike Mussina to settle into a groove and stay relaxed. The Yankees added three more insurance runs in the ninth inning off Jonathan Papelbon; it was the first time Papelbon ever allowed more than two runs in an outing. Alex Rodriguez, who went 2-for-4, is guaranteed to hit .300, while Bobby Abreu, who went 0-for-2, is down to .296.
Pitching: Mike Mussina finished off his season with a stellar outing against the Red Sox: 6 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts. He recorded his 20th win of the year at the age of 39, which is just remarkable considering it was the first time he ever won 20 in a season. While it was a disappointing season for the Yankees, it was great, as a student of the game, to watch Mussina dominate over the course of an entire season. What makes it all the more sweeter is that he didn't do it with overpowering stuff- just with wit, location, and movement.
Final Notes:
- Mussina finishes the season with a 20-9 record in 34 starts. He never walked more than two batters in a game.
- Mussina becomes the oldest pitcher ever to win 20 games for the first time. The previous record was held by Jamie Moyer, who won 20 games for the first time in 2001 at the age of 38.
- Bobby Abreu has now reached safely in 27 straight games at Fenway Park.
Final Score: Yankees 6, Rays 5
Yankees: 78-70
Rays: 88-58
W- Marte (1-3)
L- Howell (6-1)
SV- Rivera (34)
Offense: After scoring just one run in the first game of today's doubleheader, the Yankees improved on their hitting and scored six runs in the nightcap. Derek Jeter, who had finished the day with six hits in the two combined games, went 3-for-3, increasing his average to .303. Robinson Cano and Cody Ransom also had multi-hit games. Wilson Betemit contributed his sixth home run of the year off Matt Garza, while Xavier Nady and Bobby Abreu each had big RBI singles in the seventh and eighth innings.
Pitching: Sidney Ponson delivered a terrible start, barely lasting into the fourth inning. He gave up four runs, all of which came on a grand slam off the bat of Ben Zobrist. In relief, Phil Coke pitched 2.2 innings of flawless baseball. He has really emerged as a solid pitcher in the past few weeks, and hopefully he'll get his shot with the club next year. Meanwhile, Damaso Marte, Joba Chamberlain, and Mariano Rivera combined to shut the Rays down in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings.
Final Notes:
- Derek Jeter is now three hits away from tying Lou Gehrig for the most hits all-time at Yankee Stadium.
- Mariano Rivera now has 34 saves on the season and 477 in his career. He is one save away from tying Lee Smith for second all-time.
- In his last five starts, Sidney Ponson has allowed 25 runs, 35 hits, and 11 walks. I don't think we'll be seeing much of him down the stretch.
Some news items of the day, courtesy of Yahoo:
- Melky Cabrera was called up from AAA as insurance for injured Bobby Abreu. Cabrera had been demoted last month after struggling through the year with a .242 average, then hit .333 in 15 games for Scranton.
- Abreu was back in the lineup last night after sitting out Thursday with a jammed left wrist. Abreu injured the wrist sliding into second during Wednesday night's game and could not take batting practice before Thursday's game, which prompted manager Joe Girardi to scratch him from the lineup.
- Alfredo Aceves will get a shot as a starter, taking Darrell Rasner's spot in the rotation next Tuesday. Aceves, 25, has posted a 1.29 ERA and struck out seven in seven innings pitched since his call-up last month.
- Derek Jeter got the only hit by a Yankee in the starting lineup in yesterday's 3-1 loss to Seattle.
- Andy Pettitte had his first good start since August 20th, yielding three runs in seven innings but still took another loss as the Yankees' bats failed to muster much against Brandon Morrow and th eSeattle Mariners. In each of his previous two starts, Pettitte had allowed six runs on ten hits.
Final Score: Yankees 9, Orioles 4
Yankees: 68-60
Orioles: 61-66
W- Veras (4-2)
L- Walker (1-1)
SV- Rivera (29)
Offense: The Yankee offense did a great job tonight, scoring nine runs in total and hitting four home runs. The four home runs came off a pair of back-to-back jacks, first from Robinson Cano and Jose Molina, and then from Cody Ransom and Xavier Nady. Bobby Abreu also had a career night, as he went 5-for-5 with five singles. In addition, Derek Jeter picked up his 2,500th career hit in the first inning, becoming the third-youngest player to reach that milestone. Clearly, it was a big night for the offense.
Pitching: Mike Mussina didn't pitch great through six innings, but he got through it. He gave up four runs and nine hits, and he was denied his 17th win of the year. Jose Veras, Damaso Marte, and Mariano Rivera combined for three shutout innings in the seventh, eighth, and ninth; Rivera, who came into the game in the eighth, recorded his 29th save of the year.
Final Notes:
- The Yankees are now 3-50 when trailing after seven innings. It was 4-3 Orioles after seven innings tonight.
- Mussina is 0-2 with an 8.49 ERA in three starts against the Orioles this season. In his last 11 starts, he has allowed three home runs, all of them to Orioles hitters.
- Abreu's five hits match a career high. He also got five hits in August of 1999.
- Robinson Cano's home run landed on Eutaw Street, the third time the Yankees have done that this season. The other two came from Jason Giambi.
Final Score: Yankees 8, Angels 2
Angels: 69-41
Yankees: 60-50
W- Mussina (14-7)
L- Weaver (9-9)
Offense: After getting shut out last night, the Yankee offense came alive today, scoring eight runs in all. The scoring started in the second, when Wilson Betemit made up for his first inning error by hitting a two-run home run. The Yankees would add three more home runs, courtesy of Bobby Abreu, Jose Molina, and Alex Rodriguez. Molina was the offensive player of the game; he totaled three hits, three runs scored, and he hit his first home run of the year off the left field foul pole.
Pitching: Mike Mussina had a shaky second inning, allowing two runs (one earned), but he completely shut down the Angels after that. He retired the final seventeen batters he faced, completing his line of 7 innings, 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. With the win, Mussina improves to 14-7 on the year while lowering his ERA to 3.44. Suffice to say, Mussina has been one of the best pitchers in the league all season long. Jose Veras struck out the side in the eighth, giving way to Brian Bruney in the ninth. It was Bruney's first appearance since April, after missing time with a foot injury.
Final Notes:
- Robinson Cano was out of the lineup with a sore hand. "It was not good the last few days," he said as he sat in front of his locker prior to the game.
- The Yankees have given up only two earned runs in their last two games. Prior to that, they had allowed 22 earned runs in three games.
Final Score: Angels 12, Yankees 6
Yankees: 59-49
Angels: 68-40
W- Garland (10-6)
L- Pettitte (12-8)
Offense: Once they were down 6-0 in the third, the Yankees knew that they would have a long night ahead of them. The offense tried their best to fight back, scoring in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and ninth innings, but in the end, it wasn't enough. Bobby Abreu and Xavier Nady both hit solo home runs, and every starter except for Jeter and Cano had at least one hit.
Pitching: Andy Pettitte, after giving up six earned runs in his last four starts, gave up six runs in one inning tonight en route to a complete implosion. His final line: 5.1 innings, 11 hits, 9 runs, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts. It seemed like he went to 3-2 on every hitter, and he could not make his pitch when he needed to. In the third, he gave up two three-run home runs to Torii Hunter and Juan Rivera, and he would give up three more runs as the night progressed. The only small victory was that Pettitte was able to last into the sixth. Chris Britton saved the bullpen, as he pitched 3.2 innings out of the pen. He allowed seven hits and three runs, but he got 11 important outs. This was the fourth time in the last five games that the pitching staff has allowed seven or more runs. After pitching for so well for so long, the pitching has really struggled in the past week or so.
Final Notes:
- The Angels hit three separate three-run home runs in the same game for the first time in 30 years. They are 11-2 since the break.
- In his Yankee debut, Ivan Rodriguez was 1-for-3.
- In their last 34 games against the Angels, the Yankees are 12-22.
- Before the game, the Yankees traded infielder Alberto Gonzalez to the Nationals for minor league pitcher Jhonny Nunez. They also signed former Met Victor Zambrano to a minor-league deal. He was the one they traded Kazmir for.
Final Score: Red Sox 9, Yankees 2
Yankees: 58-46
Red Sox: 61-45
W- Lester (9-3)
L- Ponson (6-2)
Offense: Even though the Yankees pounded out ten hits against Jon Lester, Manny Delcarmen, and Mike Timlin, they only managed to plate two of the runners. Both runs came in the fifth inning, the first on an RBI single from Jeter and the second on a bases loaded walk by Abreu. After the walk to Abreu, the Yankees had Alex Rodriguez up with the bases loaded and no outs, but they failed to score another run. Meanwhile, Robinson Cano momentarily stopped his hot hitting; it was the first game since the All Star break that he did not record a hit, and only the second game that he did not have multiple hits.
Pitching: After winning Ponson's first four starts, the Yankees could not salvage this one. Ponson delivered a poor start; his line: 4 innings, 10 hits, 7 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout. His pitches had no movement on them, and the Red Sox hitters kept pounding hit after hit. The big blow came off the bat of David Ortiz, who hit a two-run home run that gave the Red Sox a 7-0 lead. Dan Giese pitched four innings of relief, giving up only two runs. He gave the Yankees the length they needed out of the bullpen, and he gave the other relievers a day of rest, which sets them up well for the Baltimore series.
Final Notes:
- The start of the game was delayed 52 minutes due to rain.
- Tonight was Ponson's second loss of the season, and his first since May 26th.
- Ponson's 4-inning, 7-run performance was only the second time in the last 17 games that a Yankee starter gave up more than three earned runs.
- Bobby Abreu has reached safely in all 20 games he has played in Fenway Park with the Yankees.
