No hitter has had a worse begin to the season than José Abreu. The veteran first baseman has solely picked up 4 hits in 65 plate appearances. He’s hitting .068/.138/.085 with one extra-base knock, a double. Amongst hitters with 50+ journeys to the dish, none has made much less of an affect from an influence perspective. Solely Victor Scott II — a glove-first rookie whom the Cardinals optioned over the weekend — has as poor an on-base mark.
Whereas St. Louis had the luxurious of sending Scott to Triple-A, the Astros can’t do the identical with Abreu. He’d have to comply with any type of minor league project. They’re not going to discover a commerce associate. In all probability, the one method for Houston to take him off the MLB roster is to launch him and eat the remaining cash on his $58.5MM free agent deal. Contemplating Abreu is making $19.5MM each this season and subsequent, it’s not particularly shocking that Houston isn’t prepared to maneuver on totally.
On the identical time, they should at the least take into account the opportunity of making a change at first base. The Astros have already kicked Abreu to the underside third of the batting order after he began the 12 months within the #5 gap. He has gotten the beginning in 16 of Houston’s 23 video games, with Jon Singleton getting the nod at first base for the opposite seven appearances.
If Singleton have been hitting properly, maybe Abreu could be at risk of shedding his beginning job. But the lefty-hitting Singleton is off to a lackluster .229/.308/.286 line in his personal proper. It comes as no shock that Houston’s first basemen have been the game’s least productive by three weeks. No workforce has gotten lower than their .110/.187/.146 exhibiting over 91 plate appearances.
Whereas Singleton isn’t precisely forcing his method into the lineup, the Astros might take into account alternate options within the minors. Offseason commerce acquisition Trey Cabbage is on the 40-man roster however has been on elective project to Triple-A Sugar Land all season. He’s hitting .262/.407/.492 over his first 18 video games. Former seventh-round decide Joey Loperfido has raked at a .260/.359/.688 clip over 19 contests for the Area Cowboys. The Duke product is tied with Heston Kjerstad for the Triple-A lead with 10 residence runs. Loperfido will not be on the 40-man however will have to be added sooner or later this 12 months if Houston desires to maintain him out of subsequent offseason’s Rule 5 draft.
Neither Cabbage nor Loperfido is definite and even essentially prone to produce in opposition to huge league pitching. Cabbage appeared in 22 video games for the Angels final season and struck out in practically half his plate appearances. He’s taking place on strikes a 3rd of the time this 12 months in Triple-A. Loperfido has had a equally excessive swing-and-miss charge, fanning at a 33.7% clip this 12 months after working a 32.6% strikeout proportion in his first have a look at Triple-A pitching final summer season. He’s quickly to show 25 and has but to make his main league debut.
Even when the Astros aren’t bought on Loperfido or Cabbage making sufficient contact to supply on the MLB stage, they’ll clearly have to see extra from Abreu to proceed working him on the market. Common supervisor Dana Brown acknowledged as a lot final week. The GM informed Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle on Friday that whereas the Astros would proceed to present Abreu taking part in time in hopes that he finds his stride, they’d “should circle again and make some selections” if the previous MVP doesn’t begin hitting. That preceded an 0-8 exhibiting from Abreu within the first two video games of their weekend sequence in opposition to the Nationals. Singleton acquired the nod in yesterday’s sequence finale and went 0-3.
A participant beginning the 12 months slowly can simply be overemphasized. A horrible three-week stretch to start the season is extra seen than the same run in the course of the summer season may be. Groups are understandably cautious about overreacting to a small pattern in April, as Brown famous. Abreu’s struggles are magnified, although, as a result of he’s already coming off a disappointing first 12 months.
In 594 plate appearances a 12 months in the past, he hit .237/.296/.383 with 18 residence runs. Of the 25 first basemen who took at the least 500 plate appearances, Abreu was final in OBP and twenty second in slugging. Together with this 12 months’s begin brings his total line as an Astro to .220/.281/.354. That’d be subpar manufacturing for nearly any common on a workforce with postseason aspirations. It’s significantly poor for a 37-year-old first baseman whose most important supply of worth is meant to be his bat.
To his credit score, Abreu discovered his kind to some extent late final season. He carried a .237/.296/.350 mark into September earlier than connecting on seven homers with a .237/.299/.536 line within the common season’s remaining month. He constructed off that in October, mashing at a .295/.354/.591 clip with one other 4 longballs in 11 playoff contests. Abreu has additionally historically been a sluggish starter, even when this month’s struggles are at one other stage. For his profession, he owns a roughly league common .241/.309/.421 line in March and April; he has posted properly above-average offensive numbers in each different month.
That maybe gives some stage of optimism that Abreu will be capable of flip issues round. Nonetheless, regardless of a powerful Spring Coaching efficiency, he hasn’t easily carried his late-2023 rebound into this season. How rather more leeway the entrance workplace and supervisor Joe Espada can afford to present him stays to be seen.
Houston’s offense has been stable total regardless of the entire lack of manufacturing at first base, but they’re working with far much less margin for error than they’ve in previous seasons. Poor performances from the beginning rotation and the again of the bullpen, mixed with an absence of well timed hits, have led to a dismal 7-16 begin. Solely the White Sox have been worse within the American League. Urgency is quickly going to mount. If the Astros get to some extent the place they really feel a change in taking part in time is important, first base may be the likeliest place to take action.
Picture courtesy of USA Immediately Sports activities.