Background: One of the top two expansion-draft trades ever. Dante Bichette for Kevin Reimer (November 1992) was the other. Abreu was a Houston Astro until Tampa Bay selected him in the Nov. 18, 1997, expansion draft, then traded him minutes later to the Phillies for shortstop Kevin Stocker. Three weeks later, the Phillies fired GM Lee Thomas and replaced him with Ed Wade.
What’s up: It was Abreu’s record performance in the Home Run Derby, not the nondescript All-Star Game, that became the indelible image of the past week. Abreu led off the Derby by belting a record 24 homers in the first round, 41 total.
Stat line: With 18 homers and 21 stolen bases entering Saturday, Abreu was the only player on pace for a 30-30 season. If it happens, it would be his third. He also had 31 homers and 36 steals in 2001 and 30 homers and 40 steals last year.
What’s next: Becoming the fourth player in history to have a 40-40 season. Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez have done it, and only once. Abreu proved last year he could steal 40, and the Derby suggested he may have 40 homers in him. Because second-year Citizens Bank Park is one of the best homer fields in the majors, Abreu, 31, may be the game’s top 40-40 candidate.
Klis’ take: Oh, so that’s Bobby Abreu. It’s all happening for him now. Although he was consistently productive in his first seven seasons with the Phillies, averaging .308, 23 homers, 92 RBIs and 29 stolen bases, when people outside of Philly thought of the Phillies, they first thought of Curt Schilling, then Scott Rolen, then Jim Thome. With Schilling and Rolen long gone to championship teams and Thome plagued by injuries this year, Abreu has become the man in Philly. Thanks to the recognition he received from his Derby performance, Abreu is getting consideration as one of the top six all-around players in the game (along with Miguel Tejada, Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones and Vladimir Guerrero). But in the modern era of the expanded playoff system, no player ever will achieve stardom until he helps lead his team to the October stage. It is why the Rockies’ Todd Helton is largely unappreciated east of the Mountain time zone.
