Athletes - Bobby Abreu

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	Athletes - Bobby Abreu

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Bob Kelly Abréu (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.

Career

Abréu 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, Abréu 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, Abréu 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, Abréu 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 González hit .339 in 1967.

In 2001 Abréu 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, being voted in as the "32nd man" in online voting on MLB.com. Abréu 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 (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 2005 Abréu won his first Gold Glove Award for defensive excellence in the outfield.

Through the 2005 season, Abréu is a .303 hitter with 190 home runs and 776 RBI in 1329 games.

Highlights

Won Gold Glove Award (2005)
Twice All-Star (2004-05)
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 (1996-2004)
.412 career on base percentage (1996-2004)
.517 career slugging average (1996-2004)
.929 career OPS (1996-2004)
One of three ML players with at least seven consecutive 20-HR, 20 stolen base seasons. Bobby Bonds
had seven straight 20/20 seasons (1969-75), while his son Barry
had nine in a row (1990-98).
2005 Home Run Derby winner

2005 season

In May, Abréu was honored as the Player of the Month in the National League, after he hit .396 and 11 home runs. Abréu 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.

Abréu was voted a starter of the NL outfield for the All-Star Game, finishing second in fan voting, behind St. Louis Cardinals Jim Edmonds
.

At Comerica Park –a field normally considered a "pitcher's park"–, Abréu won the Home Run Derby. 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 a year earlier. Abréu's longest homer was measured at 517'.

Facts

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum displays the bat used by Abréu to hit the first home run in the Phillies’ new ballpark, Citizens Bank Park on April 12, 2004.

Abréu is the first player in Phillies history and the first Venezuelan big leaguer to ever steal 30 bases and hit 30 home runs in one single season.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Bobby Abreu ]

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Athletes - Bobby Abreu

Career

Highlights

2005 season

Facts

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