I agree but Crane, Bagwell, and who knows how many others never wavered in their confidence in him. Of course he is coming back. The only reason to send him to West Palm is because you have not given up on him yet and that means he gets another shot. If they were not bringing him back they would have just DFAd him. Possibilities: 20% - He still sucks and gets DFA'd by mid-June. 50% - He is improved but still a drain on the team. Because there is improvement he remains on the team despite being bad. 20% - He produces at average to slightly below average levels - bad enough to be a drain but not bad enough for the Astros to do anything about it. 10% - He is fixed and produces at 110-115 wRC+/OPS+ levels the rest of the season.
What's the hurry? How do we benefit by bringing him back any time soon when the team is obviously playing so much better in his absence? What is our record since Jabreu was send to scrap heap to be get retooled? I haven't looked it up but it seems like we have won a lot more than we have lost since he was given the one way ticket to Florida. At least I was hoping it was a one way ticket to Florida. Prepared to eat crow if he comes back and tears the cover off the ball and plays anywhere near the level we thought he was going to get when we overpaid for his nonproductive arse. We are just starting to roll. Chemistry seems to be coming together. Heads need to roll if he comes back and screws everything up again.
If Abreu comes back and shows improvement maybe his trade value increases. I’d still keep him in FL but maybe that’s the thinking
If they aren’t going to release him, then he has to be on the roster unless he agrees otherwise. I’ll be curious to see how much he actually plays.
The Astros did not decide that it was time to bring up Abreu - it was all worked out between him and his agent and the Astros.
This is BAD news. Real bad. My guess is that he gets waived then. He's hitting about .220 in the lowest level of professional baseball that there is in the United States. That is anything but confidence inspiring. He's not a bad dude, but i can't see how bringing him back yet is good for the team. They are finally playing decent baseball. Hopefully he doesn't destroy the team chemistry on his way out the door.
He was awesome at the end of the season and in the postseason...maybe he can channel that mojo for a while?
Yeah, maybe. I'm hoping that they are seeing something in his advanced statistics down there, or that he's showing something in batting practice behind the scenes. I dunno. It is what it is I guess.
While I would rather that he be 8 for 10 than 2 for 10 - I’m not reading too much into 10 at bats. I have no idea what to expect. Supposedly he will get some AAA games (a few) before being called back up. Really the only people that know are the Astros advanced scouts and the Astros development people. If he goes to Sugar Land, as expected for a few games - they will have a better idea. Honestly Bagwell likely has some idea as he was a good hitting coach and has worked with a lot of guys. I never got a solid answer on whether the issue was conditioning or approach. He had conditioning issues when he came from Cuba but was generally known as a hard worker that stayed in shape. If it is an approach issue, I’m curious to see what they did to build up his bat speed. Last - with Abreu, I wouldn’t rule out it being mental. He has in the past struggled with stress. When his son was in Cuba and he was in the USA, he really was terrible… then last year he really struggled early with not being in the same city or team. It’s possible this year after last year, it’s mental. My suspicion is he isn’t promised any playing time and if he does well - he gets more time. I also believe that the Astros can withstand his struggles or possible complaints if they are playing well. Bregman and Altuve and Alvarez really did a good job keeping Abreu positive earlier this year.
It is possible. He is an older player but he isn’t 40. He also has a track record and is a hard worker.
At the very least hope they both get back in their own lane. If Crane continues to do his best Jerry Jones micromanaging the team will continue to be hurt by it. Baggy needs to accept his role as legacy great hitter and HOF'er. He is not GM material. He is better suited BS ing on a Fri or Sat night with the announcers covering our TV games.
