GaryMrMets
07-06-2004, 01:49 AM
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/sports/s070504c.htm
It's time for Abreu to be All-Star too
Monday, July 5, 2004
By KEVIN ROBERTS
Courier-Post Staff
PHILADELPHIA
We forgot about Bobby Abreu.
All the fretting and consternation about Jim Thome's vote total was much ado about nothing, it turned out. As expected, Thome made the team. But Abreu - having without question one of the best all-around seasons in the league - was passed over in an inexplicable vote.
Abreu wasn't snubbed by the fans, who simply might not know him. The players' ballot - a vote of the players, coaches and managers around the league - put Lance Berkman, Miguel Cabrera and Moises Alou well ahead of Abreu.
Now. All three are excellent players. None of them is having a year like Abreu.
"Maybe I'm a little prejudiced, but Bobby Abreu's numbers are unbelievable," Bowa said. "I don't know the process, but I hope he's considered. I don't know anybody who's played right field as well as this guy. Every year, he plays good. I think people take it for granted.
"Well, it's hard to hit .300. It's hard to steal 25-30 bases. It's hard to draw 100 walks, score 100 runs, drive in 100. He does it every year. But somehow people don't know about him. I know people get left off, but to leave him off every year is not right.
"People should recognize what this guy has done. It's totally unfair if he's not on the team."
Abreu, at least, is still in it. The fan voting for the final spot began Sunday night and lasts for 72 hours, and Abreu is one of five players under consideration. Of the others - Steve Finley, Juan Pierre, Jason Kendall and Aramis Ramirez - only Ramirez drew more votes than Abreu during the regular fan voting.
But Ramirez blew Abreu away in that tally, topping the Phillies outfielder by more than 400,000 votes. So Abreu has his work cut out for him.
Abreu got the word just before the game - "I was surprised," he said - but then went out and had two hits, including his 17th homer, and drove in three runs in a 5-2 Phillies win.
Abreu is in the top five among NL outfielders in batting average, runs, walks, doubles, RBIs, times on base, extra-base hits, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and stolen bases. You know how many outfielders in the league can claim to be even in the top 15 in all those categories?
Only Abreu.
He's having one of the truly great all-around seasons in the game, especially now that his defense is coming around.
Abreu drove fans at the Park crazy with passive play in right field in the early part of this season. And he was passive - he just didn't charge those soft pop flies in front of him. But in Abreu's defense, if you spend six years playing on the that absurd turf at Veterans Stadium, you can get a little gun-shy about the ball in front of you.
You miss that one on turf, and it's gone and by you and it's an inside-the-park homer. So you get a little passive - but on grass, you can get more aggressive. And it appears Abreu has finally figured that out. His defense has been very good in the last two months, joining an offensive game that is among the league's best.
"I feel good about what I'm doing," Abreu said. "Everyone wants to be in the All-Star Game, of course. I don't know what to say; it's a tough thing to think about.
"I guess a lot of people don't know me. I've hit .300, I've had 100 RBIs, I've hit 30 homers, but nobody knows me real well. I guess that's the difference (with Cabrera), that he's been in the postseason, in the World Series. Probably, that's what it is."
Yeah, that's exactly what it is. Abreu is a heck of a player. But to make the kind of leap we're talking about here, he's got to do big things - postseason things. That's as true for Abreu as it is for Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins and on and on. Nothing garners respect and recognition for players - and organizations - like a World Series.
Abreu gets that, which is why when he was asked if he'd get on-line and vote for himself, Abreu laughed and said, "Naaaaah." But Thome is out there stumping for his teammate.
"We've got to get a campaign going here, and get him on that team," Thome said. "With Manny (Ramirez), Bobby is one of the best pure hitters I've played with. He can kind of do what he wants to do. Bobby is a tremendous player, year in and year out."
And if Abreu finally becomes the kind of player who lifts the Phillies into the playoffs, everyone else will find out about him soon enough.
It's time for Abreu to be All-Star too
Monday, July 5, 2004
By KEVIN ROBERTS
Courier-Post Staff
PHILADELPHIA
We forgot about Bobby Abreu.
All the fretting and consternation about Jim Thome's vote total was much ado about nothing, it turned out. As expected, Thome made the team. But Abreu - having without question one of the best all-around seasons in the league - was passed over in an inexplicable vote.
Abreu wasn't snubbed by the fans, who simply might not know him. The players' ballot - a vote of the players, coaches and managers around the league - put Lance Berkman, Miguel Cabrera and Moises Alou well ahead of Abreu.
Now. All three are excellent players. None of them is having a year like Abreu.
"Maybe I'm a little prejudiced, but Bobby Abreu's numbers are unbelievable," Bowa said. "I don't know the process, but I hope he's considered. I don't know anybody who's played right field as well as this guy. Every year, he plays good. I think people take it for granted.
"Well, it's hard to hit .300. It's hard to steal 25-30 bases. It's hard to draw 100 walks, score 100 runs, drive in 100. He does it every year. But somehow people don't know about him. I know people get left off, but to leave him off every year is not right.
"People should recognize what this guy has done. It's totally unfair if he's not on the team."
Abreu, at least, is still in it. The fan voting for the final spot began Sunday night and lasts for 72 hours, and Abreu is one of five players under consideration. Of the others - Steve Finley, Juan Pierre, Jason Kendall and Aramis Ramirez - only Ramirez drew more votes than Abreu during the regular fan voting.
But Ramirez blew Abreu away in that tally, topping the Phillies outfielder by more than 400,000 votes. So Abreu has his work cut out for him.
Abreu got the word just before the game - "I was surprised," he said - but then went out and had two hits, including his 17th homer, and drove in three runs in a 5-2 Phillies win.
Abreu is in the top five among NL outfielders in batting average, runs, walks, doubles, RBIs, times on base, extra-base hits, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and stolen bases. You know how many outfielders in the league can claim to be even in the top 15 in all those categories?
Only Abreu.
He's having one of the truly great all-around seasons in the game, especially now that his defense is coming around.
Abreu drove fans at the Park crazy with passive play in right field in the early part of this season. And he was passive - he just didn't charge those soft pop flies in front of him. But in Abreu's defense, if you spend six years playing on the that absurd turf at Veterans Stadium, you can get a little gun-shy about the ball in front of you.
You miss that one on turf, and it's gone and by you and it's an inside-the-park homer. So you get a little passive - but on grass, you can get more aggressive. And it appears Abreu has finally figured that out. His defense has been very good in the last two months, joining an offensive game that is among the league's best.
"I feel good about what I'm doing," Abreu said. "Everyone wants to be in the All-Star Game, of course. I don't know what to say; it's a tough thing to think about.
"I guess a lot of people don't know me. I've hit .300, I've had 100 RBIs, I've hit 30 homers, but nobody knows me real well. I guess that's the difference (with Cabrera), that he's been in the postseason, in the World Series. Probably, that's what it is."
Yeah, that's exactly what it is. Abreu is a heck of a player. But to make the kind of leap we're talking about here, he's got to do big things - postseason things. That's as true for Abreu as it is for Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins and on and on. Nothing garners respect and recognition for players - and organizations - like a World Series.
Abreu gets that, which is why when he was asked if he'd get on-line and vote for himself, Abreu laughed and said, "Naaaaah." But Thome is out there stumping for his teammate.
"We've got to get a campaign going here, and get him on that team," Thome said. "With Manny (Ramirez), Bobby is one of the best pure hitters I've played with. He can kind of do what he wants to do. Bobby is a tremendous player, year in and year out."
And if Abreu finally becomes the kind of player who lifts the Phillies into the playoffs, everyone else will find out about him soon enough.