For Bobby Abreu, this day was bound to come. The veteran right fielder turned 35 this spring, and while he's been one of the game's most productive players for most of the last decade, he's only now beginning to get the recognition he deserves.
On Thursday night, Abreu begins the fourth postseason run of his career. The first three were short-lived. As a castoff from the recent Yankees teams that have failed to escape the first round of the playoffs, he's still looking for his chance to break out on the October stage.
Maybe now, he'll get that chance. In New York, something wasn't right.
Abreu, a two-time National League All-Star during his time with the Astros and Phillies, was shipped to the Bronx along with the late Cory Lidle in a salary-dumping move by the Philadelphia front office at the 2006 trade deadline. He proceeded to hit .330 in the final two months of the '06 season, and he cranked out a .289/.370/.458 batting line to go with 36 home runs and 201 RBIs over the course of the next two seasons.
In any other baseball city, Abreu would have been considered the toast of the town. But not in New York.
On the Yankees, tangled up in the sea of egos that flooded that clubhouse, Abreu was an afterthought. He had set up camp in the heart of one of baseball's best batting orders, quietly going about his business as a hitting machine, but no one was noticing. After the '08 season, the Yankees inexplicably just let him walk.
Abreu has spent the past year proving that the Yanks made a mistake. On Feb. 11, he signed a one-year deal with a $5 million base salary with up to $1 mil more in incentives. He had been making three times that in the Bronx, but rather than let the massive pay cut get him down, Abreu simply did what he's always done: hit.
Abreu put up a .390 on-base percentage this season, anchoring one of the game's best offenses. When manager Mike Scioscia was asked for a team MVP at the end of the regular season, the skipper gave his unequivocal answer: Abreu. It had been a long time since Abreu had been recognized as a team MVP.
But now that October is here, it's past the time to focus on individual honors. For Abreu — the underpaid, underrated, underappreciated star of this decade — it's time to see if he can help a team win.
That's something he's never really done before. As a rookie in Houston, Abreu got his first taste of the postseason, serving as a pinch-hitter for the Astros in their NLDS matchup with Atlanta. Abreu went 1-for-3 in the series, and the Braves made quick work of that series. One and done.
Then came Philadelphia — Abreu spent nine years with the Phillies, and not once did he see the postseason. The Phils always had a shot in the NL East, but with the Braves dominating that division, they always fell just short.
And then came the Yankees.
In two ALDS appearances with New York, Abreu was 9-for-30. He had six RBIs, two doubles, and one home run — a meaningless solo shot off of closer Joe Borowski in the ninth inning of the Yankees' final loss to the Indians.
Abreu was a good player for the Yankees in his short time there, but no one ever noticed. Now, 3,000 miles away from his old stomping ground, he's got a chance to rejuvenate his career.
As an individual, Abreu has already accomplished plenty. After 14 seasons in the major leagues, he's piled up the numbers and made the big bucks.
What's next is the tough part. It's time to see if Abreu can become a winner.
