Hi! My Name Is: Bobby Abreu (RF)

Each day, "Piss and Wynegar" will present Yankees "player previews" for the coming 2008 season. In what can only be referred to as a "revelatory" strategy, we will use statistics, as well as opinion, to further our analysis.

Despite a spell early in 2007 during which Bobby Abreu held the bat upside down and swung at pitches as if they were delicate flowers, one of the best moves the Yankees made this offseason was picking up the option on their strong-armed rightfielder. Knowing that the Stadium would have to be re-mortgaged to sign Rivera, Posada and "He of the 10 Pee Tests," A-Rod, Brian Cashman’s decision to pay Abreu $16 million seemed downright fiscally responsible. Some fans were dismayed by Abreu’s tendency to slump in ’07, but the alternatives to this Latin heartthrob were few and paltry. What’s more, once some intriguing RF options were snapped up before hitting the open market (I’m looking at you, Ichiro) Bobby became the logical choice.

Abreu’s .369 OBP did not set the world on fire last year, but the man scored 123 runs (the most in his career) and was second on the team in walks with 84. And, while he continued to be the poster child for skipping the Home Run Derby (only 16 dingers for the former basher), Bobby managed 101 RBI and was second on the team in SB, with 25. Factor in a sickeningly good arm (and deduct points for his apparent fear of running into walls), you can’t be disappointed to have this guy batting third in your lineup. True, like Damon and Matsui, people love to say Abreu is over-the-hill with every 0-4, but his track record suggests another solid year, so long as his fiancée doesn’t bang a stranger in a hot tub on Venezuelan television and cause a distraction…again.