The Boston Red Sox relied on a wealth of rookies throughout the 2023 season, and some of them impressed beyond the organization's expectations.
In fact, Wilyer Abreu exceeded everyone's expectations.
Minor League Baseball announced its 2023 Triple-A All-Star teams Wednesday, with Abreu being named to the International League team as one of its outfielders. The 24-year-old became the first WooSox player to be selected to the IL All-Star team.
No Matchup Found
Click here to enter a different Sportradar ID.
Story continues below advertisement
The recognition was well deserved for Abreu, who tore the cover off the ball with Triple-A Worcester. He slashed .274/.391/.539 with 22 home runs and 66 RBIs before getting the call to Boston. When he arrived in the big leagues, he slashed .316/.388/.474 with a pair of home runs and 14 RBIs.
The Red Sox opened the year with rookies Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida in the lineup, knowing they'd be major contributors. What Boston didn't expect was to have Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Enmanuel Valdez playing every day by the end of the year.
Those same rookies will be competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster in 2024, and Abreu's performance early in his big league career might make him the favorite to land one.
Featured image via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
