GREW UP IN VENEZUELA

• Bobby grew up near Maracay, a town located two hours from the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. The rain forest flourishes there, with white-face monkeys, tapirs, and anteaters.

• When Abreu first reported to the Houston Astros' academy there in the late 1980s, he was 14 years old, weighed 127 pounds and liked to hack as much as Guerrero.
  
  "Every young Latin player is a free swinger," said Andres Reiner, who ran the academy. "Bobby was no different."
  
  Abreu remembers the day he started to refine his game: May 1, 1997, Astros versus Expos at Olympic Stadium, and Craig Biggio led off the fourth inning with a double off Pedro Martinez. Abreu, batting second, followed with a fly ball to left on a 1-and-2 count. After the inning, Biggio approached Abreu—then in his first full season in the bigs—and told him that he should have been more selective, at least hit a ground ball to the right side.
  
  "Since then," Abreu says, "it's been automatic." (Lee Jenkins-Sports Illustrated-October 19, 2009)

Bowa cited Abreu's maturation, and his ability to not take bad at-bats into right field with him, which sometimes cost him.

Younger players Ruben Tejada, Juan Lagares, and even Kirk Nieuwenhuis have benefited from Abreu's hitting expertise and knowledge of the game, and the improvements recently are showing off. "I like to have him explain the little things and try to learn a lot from him," said Tejada.

"[I] just tell them about what they can do in special situations in the game, how they can get a good approach at the plate, a game plan, so they can develop it to the game," said Abreu. "I think it's going to help them [for] the future. Ruben's starting to do better. ... Now he's more consistent at the plate. Lagares is going to be an All-Star, no doubt. So I'm just giving them simple advice to make them be better players than they already are." As for his ability to still produce as a 40-year-old, Abreu is just glad his advice is being backed up on the field.

"One way is to talk and another way is to execute," he said. "But [I'm] doing both, so they understand what it's all about." (Kring-Schreifels - mlb.com - 7/12/14)


TRANSACTION REPORT

• Abreu is pronounced Ah-BRAY-oo.
• He is one of the most patient hitters in the game, rarely swinging at any pitch not in the strike zone.
  
  He sees a lot of pitches per at-bat, more than most anyone in the game. He really does draw walks! A pitcher can make a lot of good pitches on Bobby, yet he will still walk.
  
  Bobby Abreu gives you a great at-bat (almost) every time he comes to the plate.

• When he was growing up in Venezuela, Bobby didn't idolize Tony Armas or Andres Galarraga. His biggest hero was Roberto Alomar, another fellow-countryman. And he idolized him to the point he copied his stance, lefthanded stroke, the way Robbie paws the dirt, and every single other idiosyncrasy in the batter's box.

• Abreu has one of the best and purest lefthanded swings in baseball. He's like a Tony Gwynn with power. He has solid hitting instincts, is a pure, natural hitter, and has one of the best and most fluid swings in the game -- a real thing of beauty. The ball jumps off his bat.

• Bob can pull the ball and go the other way but has trouble with the hard stuff inside and breaking pitches out of the strike zone. But Abreu has a quick bat with a short stroke and shows good discipline and a good eye at the plate.

• He's got a natural lefthanded hitting stroke and is a classic natural lefty hitter that hits all kinds of pitches well. He stays back on the ball. It's fun to watch him hit. He's got a sweet swing and the ability to adjust and turn on some balls.

• Some seasons Bob has hit lefthanded pitchers better than righties, which is significant because he's lefthanded. But he has no power against southpaws.

• Abreu has the look. The way he carries himself, he looks like a Big Leaguer. He has strong wrists, a very fast bat, and is aggressive at the plate.

• "I really like triples," Bob says. "You hardly ever see me stop at second. My goal is third, and that's where I'm headed. I believe my speed begins when I round first base."
  
  He has outstanding gap power to left-center and right-center field.

• Abreu makes adjustments from at-bat to at-bat.

• As the Yankees' No. 3 hitter, Abreu has earned a reputation as a patient hitter who is capable of working deep counts and helping to tire pitchers.

• Abreu's main offensive specialty—grinding out at-bats—also has to be seen consistently to be appreciated. In 2008 Abreu swung at the first pitch a major league-low 7.9 percent of the time. He also saw an average of 4.29 pitches per plate appearances, making him the third most selective hitterin the game, behind Nick Swisher and Jack Cust.
  
  The hitters behind Bobby in the order appreciate his selectivity because it allws them to see every weapon in a pitcher's arsenal. Opposing pitchers dislike facing him because he makes the work so hard.  And hard core baseball types appreciate his skill-set, also. They'd just like to see him cut loose and take a rip at a 3-2 fastball that's a hair outside the zone once in a while.
  
  HIGH BATTING AVERAGE AND HIGH OBP

• In 1998, he led the Major Leagues with a .427 batting average with runners in scoring position.

• In 1999, his .446 on-base percentage was third in the NL.
  
  And his batting average (.335, third-best in the NL) was the highest by a Phillie since Tony Gonzalez hit .339 in 1967.

• On August 20, 2000, for the first time in his career, Abreu hit leadoff. The Phillies felt it could be a great thing. Bobby has a high on-base percentage and runs the bases with a distinctive flair, going from first-to-third as well as anyone not named Rafael Furcal.

• Abreu is always in the top 10 in most pitches seen per at-bat. In 2000, Abreu saw more pitches (2,833) than any other player in the National League except Sammy Sosa (2,877). And Bobby was fourth in the NL with 10 triples, 7th with 100 walks, and ninth with a .416 on-base percentage. Bobby only hit .243 against lefties, but .339 off righthanders.

• You won't see Abreu leading off any more. He just does not want to bat leadoff. He is uncomfortable in that role.
  

• In 2002, Bobby became the first Phillies hitter in 105 years to have 40 or more doubles in three consecutive seasons. Ed Delahanty was the last to do it, in 1895-1897.

• Bobby maintains that home runs just happen. When he is going good, he hits many line drives, especially to the gaps. He is also a patient hitter with tremendous plate discipline. Those strengths—the gap power and the patience—were reflected in his statistics.
  
  In 2002, he led the National League with 50 doubles and ranked sixth with 104 walks.
  
  20-20 EVERY YEAR

• Only Mays, a couple of Bonds, and Abreu: On July 16, 2004, Abreu became only the fourth player in history to have 20-home runs and 20-stolen bases in at least six straight seasons. The other three: Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, and Bobby Bonds.

• The 2008 season was Abreu's eighth season in a row of at least 20 homers and 20 stolen bases. He also reached 100 RBI for the sixth straight season. And Bobby's 4.29 pitches per plate appearance with the Yankees in 2008 ranked as the fourth-most in the major leagues, and he did not swing at 630 of 684 first pitches.
  
  His 87 hits with two strikes were most in the Majors.
  
  "I just know the strike zone better," Abreu said. "I have an idea of where the pitch is going to land, and I don't get panicked with two strikes. I've always been that way, since the minor leagues. I don't know why. It's something you can't teach."
  

• Only three players in Major League history have reached the 20-homers and 20-steals mark at least nine times in their career. Barry Bonds did it 10 times, and so did his father Bobby. And in 2010, Abreu joined them.

• On June 7, 2009: Bobby got the 2,000th hit of his career. He became the fifth Venezuelan-born player to reach 2,000 hits in the major leagues, joining fellow countrymen Luis Aparicio, Andres Galarraga, Omar Vizquel and Davey Concepcion.
  
  And a couple of months later in 2009, when Abreu got his 250th home run, he was one of only six players in major league history with 250 homers, 2,000 hits, 1,000 runs, 1,000 runs batted in, 1,000 walks and 300 stolen bases.
  
  The others are Barry Bonds, Craig Biggio, Joe Morgan, Rickey Henderson and Willie Mays.

• Bobby is generous with advice to his teammates, telling them what he sees as far as tendencies with a pitcher. And he really helped several of the young Angels hitters in 2009, giving them tips on how to be more patient. And Torii Hunter, a veteran, says that Abreu gave him advice on swinging only at pitches in his zone within the strike zone.

• Abreu gets a whole lot of RBI without hitting home runs, and while walking a lot—94 walks in 2009 with 103 RBI. 
  
  Since 1936, only John Olerud in 2000 and Abreu have had so many runs batted in with so few homers and so many walks.
  
  Abreu also did it in 2006.
  
  

• As of the start of the 2015 season, Bobby's career Major League stats were: .291 batting average, 288 home runs with 1,363 RBI's in 8,480 at-bats.

• Abreu had some problems on defense when he played at old Veteran's Stadium in Philadelphia. But at the new Citizens Bank Park, with its swirling winds that turn fly balls into adventures, Abreu's defense became an asset.

Abreu credits grass/natural surfaces for keeping his knees and back in better condition—which allows him to take more chances, including tracking balls to the fence.

"I can go to the fence with no problem because I'm seeing the ball better and have a better feel for where the ball is going to be," he said.

• He used to play shortstop. But his hands are too stiff and his throwing motion too long for the infield.

• Bobby's one of the game's better baserunners. He's good for 20-30 stolen bases a year. (Editor's note: He has had 20+ steals every year from 1999–2010. And in 2010, he was 36 years old.)
• Once he gets rolling, he is an excellent runner. And he can really turn on the speed between first and third base. No one is better at going from home to third base.

• The Phillies coaching staff says Abreu has an innate gift for running the bases, rarely losing stride when he touches the bags. 

• May 1994: Abreu suffered a slight rotator-cuff tear that kept him in a DH role while he recovered. He started playing some outfield again in July.
• May-July 1, 1997: Abreu went on the D.L. with a fracture to the hook of the hamate bone in his right wrist. Surgery was required.

• October 1999: Bobby had arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow. He had suffered with pain during almost the entire season, and had loose bodies removed.

• February 2002: He had an emergency appendectomy while on vacation in Caracas in his native Venezuela.

• February 26-March 19, 2007: Abreu missed about three weeks of spring training exhibition games with a strained right oblique. He suffered the injury during batting practice.