Phillies Legends: Bobby Abreu

A power hitting right fielder with blazing speed made him an extra-base hit specialist. Let’s dive into the legendary career of Bobby Abreu.

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Bobby Abreu’s story begins in Houston with the Astros. In 1996, Abreu was the Astros Minor League Player of the Year earning him a September call up. He predominantly played September as a pinch hitter or a late innings defensive substitution, but he was able to accrue 22 at bats in which he produced five hits.

The following season was not much different for Abreu, his role was the same and he only saw the field in parts of 59 games. The end of that 1997 season brought an expansion draft as MLB added the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Astros elected not to protect Abreu and Tampa Bay selected him with the 6th pick of the draft. Later that day he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for shortstop, Kevin Stocker, a trade that the Phillies would not regret.

In his first season with the Phillies, 1998, Abreu saw an immediate uptick in usage. He played 151 games, batting a team leading .312, with 52 extra-base hits and 74 RBI.

He became a staple name for the Phillies in 1999 when he finished third in the race for the National League batting title with a career high .325 batting average. He led MLB in triples that season with 11 and finished 23rd in MVP voting.

In 1999 Abreu mashed 20 home runs, it was the first of seven consecutive 20-plus home run seasons through 2005.

Abreu really flashed his power in 2001 with career highs in home runs (31), RBI (110) and ISO (.253). He also stole 36 bases, making 2001 the first of his two career 30-30 seasons.

Citizens Bank Park opened for the start of the 2004 season, and on Opening Day, Abreu smacked the first regular season home run the park had ever seen. It was an opposite field homer into the left field seats. That same season, Abreu finally got the call to his first MLB All-Star game.

He continued that trend in 2005 when he made a second All-Star team, and prior to the game he even competed in and won the Home Run Derby at Comerica Park in Detroit. 

Bobby Abreu at the 2005 home run derby pic.twitter.com/vwX0VMzv8i

— John Foley (@2008Philz) July 9, 2019

2006 was Abreu’s final season in a Phillies jersey. He played 98 games with the team and was traded to the New York Yankees along with Cory Lidle for four Yankee prospects.

Abreu bounced around the league a little, moving from New York to Los Angeles to play for both the Angels and Dodgers, and then back to New York to play for the Mets. He would call it a career in 2014 after 78 games in a Mets uniform.

Abreu is just one of seven players ever to collect 900+ extra-base hits and 400+ steals in a career, joining the likes of Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Paul Molitor, Craig Biggio, and Barry Bonds.

While the Phillies as a franchise never saw much success with him on the team, Abreu was one of the most dominant players in the National League in the early 2000s. He is currently on the Hall of Fame ballot but only collected 8.6% of votes in his third year.

Regardless of his Hall of Fame status, Abreu made an immense contribution to the Phillies, and fans will always regard him as one of the legendary players to play for the team. 

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