Jose Abreu, First Base, Houston Astros


Date of Birth: 1/29/1987
Birthplace: Cruces, Cuba
Nicknames: Oso, Yogi

Jose Dariel Abreu, the rookie first baseman for the Houston Astros, was a star player in Cuba before defecting to the US in August, 2013. In both 2010 and 2011, he was the Cuban league's MVP player.

After coming to the US, Abreu was granted status as a free agent. In October, 2013, he signed a six-year, $68 million contract with the Chicago White Sox. He had a very strong first season with the White Sox in 2014. He finished the season with 176 hits, 35 doubles, 36 home runs, 107 RBIs, 131 strikeouts to 51 walks, and a .317 batting average. Defensively, as a first baseman, he made 69 assists, 105 double plays, 970 putouts, and 6 errors in 109 games. He was rewarded for his 2014 performance with a Silver Slugger award and the American League Rookie of the Year award.

Abreu had another strong season in 2015. He finished the season with 178 hits, 34 doubles, 30 home runs, 101 RBIs, and a .290 batting average in 154 games. As a first baseman, he made 60 assists, 100 double plays, 952 putouts, and 11 errors in 115 games.

In 2016, Abreu batted .293 with a career high 183 hits, 32 doubles, 25 home runs, and 100 RBIs in 159 games. Defensively, as a first baseman in 152 games, he made 84 assists, 131 double plays, 1,243 putouts, and 10 errors.

Abreu had a strong 2017 season, batting .304 in 156 games. He had career highs in hits (189) and doubles (43). He finished the season with 33 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 119 strikeouts to 35 walks. He hit for the cycle on September 9th. Defensively, as a first baseman in 139 games, he made 78 assists, 130 double plays, 1,135 putouts, and 8 errors.

In 2018, Abreu had 132 hits, 36 doubles, 22 home runs, 78 RBIs, and a .265 batting average in 128 games. Defensively, as a first baseman in 114 games, he made 73 assists, 81 double plays, 903 putouts, and 8 errors.

Abreu won his second Silver Slugger award in 2018.

Abreu batted .284 in 159 games in 2019. He had 180 hits, 38 doubles, 33 home runs, 123 RBIs, and 152 strikeouts to 36 walks. He led the AL in RBIs. Defensively, as a first baseman in 125 games, he made 74 assists, 128 double plays, 1,012 putouts, and 8 errors.

Abreu became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed a new, three-year $50 million contract with the White Sox on November 22, 2019. He had an outstanding season in 2020, winning the AL MVP award and his third Silver Slugger award. He finished the season with an AL leading 76 hits, 15 doubles, 19 home runs, 59 strikeouts to 18 walks, and a .317 batting average in 60 games. He led all of major league baseball in RBIs with 60. Defensively, he played 54 games at first base, and he was the DH in 6 games. In the postseason, he had 4 hits, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, and a .286 batting average in 14 at-bats in 3 games.

Abreu played in 152 games in 2021. He finished the season with 148 hits, 30 doubles, 30 home runs, 117 RBIs, 143 strikeouts to 61 walks, and a .261 batting average. Defensively, as a first baseman, he made 35 assists, 93 double plays, 980 putouts, and 5 errors in 135 games. In the postseason, he batted .357 with 5 hits and 3 RBIs in 14 at-bats in 4 games.

Abreu became a free agent on November 6, 2022. He signed with the Astros on November 28th.

Career batting statistics for Abreu through 2021 include:

  • 1,113 games played
  • 1,262 hits
  • 263 doubles
  • 228 home runs
  • 788 RBIs
  • 978 strikeouts to 324 walks
  • .290 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Abreu at first base through 2021 include:

  • 943 games played
  • 503 assists
  • 807 double plays
  • 7,625 putouts
  • 61 errors
  • .993 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jose Abreu
ESPN - Jose Abreu