Jose abreu has reached a level of hate that I didn’t even know was possible for me. He is always down 0-2, has the worst swing I’ve ever seen, can’t hit a 88mph pitch down the middle, can’t scoop, can’t stretch, can’t catch pop ups, can’t get in front of the ball, is a sloth, and is a shell of his former self.
Chris Carter used to get on my nerves due to this inability to play defense and stacks of Ks... but now... I would pay for that level of play.
To be clear I like the guy personally and want him to do well. I guess my hate is just watching him play. Like I love watching amen Thompson play basketball. The other end of the spectrum is watching Jose abreu play baseball.
His .218 batting average with the Astros would be Ted Williams-esque compared to Abreu at this point.
I find it funny that Dana Brown is constantly catching heat for a guy he didn't sign. I'm not sure what people expect them to say publicly, they aren't gonna say he's toast and a waste of money even if they believe it. Maybe they could PR speak a little better, but they see what we see. The real question is when will Jim Crane be willing to give up and admit sunk cost.
I think right now the team sees the standings, expects the pitching to get healthy, and feels the overall talent level makes the playoff chances still very high. They also remember September and October. Because of that they are not ready to give up. They are still hoping all the extra work will trigger something. This reminds me of 2022 Yuli all over again. Maybe it ends the same way? Starting 1B with an all-time terrible season and a WS ring.
Chuck Hayes shooting free throws, Derek Fisher flopping, and Scott Foster are the NBA equivalents of Jose Abreu playing baseball.
At least Yuli batted over .230 throughout the season, and he managed to cover for off-line throws from Bregman/Pena.
I think some folks perceive Dana Brown as a traditional GM, and as such, has heavy control of signings, trades and such. But Brown isnt this. Crane has only vested limited powers to Brown. The moves that folks are critical of are Crane's doing, not Browns. From what I see, Dana Brown isnt a GM at all going by tradition descriptions. More, simply a guy in charge of player development and player movement in the minors. IMO, Crane desperately needs a traditional GM.
The better Brown does his job the less Crane is involved. Develop a 3+ WAR player - 1 less FA/trade Crane looks for. Draft the next Kyle Tucker - 1 less star level player Crane will consider signing for big money or commitment. If 3-5 of the current prospects become significant and positive contributors to this roster, 3-4 years from now Crane will become less involved (or at least public), just like he was w/ Luhnow. But will never be absent.
