Getty Astros first baseman Jose Abreu
Four years removed from an American League MVP award, Jose Abreu says he felt “lost.”
The Astros first baseman was hitting .099 through 22 games without a home run and was saddled to a -1.5 bWAR. Abreu’s defense struggled as well, and after another rough game on April 28, the Astros sent him down.
A month later, Abreu spoke to the media for the first time since his demotion.
“I was a little lost. But I’m humble enough to recognize that and I’m telling you I’m trying to be the best José Abreu I can be and the one you guys know,” he told reporters through his interpreter, Luis Contreras.
“What I can tell you is my head is in a good spot right now,” he continued. “When I was going through it, when your head is not in a good spot, you feel like everything is going down. There was a point, and I’m telling you from the bottom of my heart, I couldn’t even know how to hit, how to field.”
Rather than re-finding his way in AA or AAA, Abreu went to the team’s Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he had an all-time expert at his disposal. Abreu worked with Hall of Fame first baseman Jeff Bagwell, who is now a senior advisor to Astros owner Jim Crane. His former teammate, Michael Brantley, stopped by as well.
Jose Abreu Goes Back to Basics
Astros manager Joe Espada gave an update on Abreu’s progress on May 20, lauding the veteran’s improvements to his swing.
“He’s actually looked really good,” Espada told reporters, per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. “I saw the videos and reports from our coordinators. I like the [changes] he’s made to his swing. His at-bats have also been pretty good — competitive and hitting the ball hard.”
Amid the marathon of an MLB season, it could be difficult to step back and correct bad habits. Abreu says the change in scenery has served him well in that way.
“I was wrong on my swing. The games sped up on you too much and sometimes it’s tough to see where you’re at. I saw videos and everything, but I didn’t see it. But now, [hitting coach Alex Cintrón], Brantley, Bagwell, [assistant hitting coordinator Rene Rojas], we all have a good group and we found it. I hope I can show it right away, but it’s baseball and it’s a process. Hopefully I can get there.”
Jon Singleton’s Future in Question
Abreu played in five Rookie League games for the FCL Astros, going 7-22 with a home run and 5 runs scored. He then moved up to AAA Sugar Land, where he has gone 0-7 in two games.
Barring anything unexpected, Abreu will rejoin the Astros in Seattle on Monday, May 27.
“The plan is to bring him for the Seattle series, and just come in with confidence,” Espada told reporters. “He has made adjustments that we feel are going to help him. And we’re just expecting him to come back up here and just be himself. We’re going to help him get him rolling and we’re all waiting for him. The players are excited, we are excited to have him back. So we’re looking forward to it.”
That’s the good news. The other part of it is that Abreu is going to have to take someone else’s roster spot and playing time. The 37-year-old is in the middle of a three-year contract paying him $19,500,000 per year. He’s not making that to sit on the bench.
On the other hand, first baseman Jon Singleton has been more productive than Abreu was (he’s hit .231 and 5 home runs in 39 games) and is hitting .308 over his last 8 games. He has earned the endorsement of general manager Dana Brown, who said in a radio interview on May 22, “I’d say right now Jon Singleton is our first baseman.”
When Abreu was sent down, the Astros were just 9-19. Now, they’re 11- 5 over their last 16 to pull to within 5.5 games of a Wild Card spot. Still at six games under .500, it’s not exactly a great spot to be in, but in late May, they’re just one more surge away from contending.