The 2024 season got off to an abysmal start fo Houston Astros first baseman Jose Abreu. His struggles at the plate were a contributing factor to the team being in the position that they currently are.
The Houston Astros are 24-32, 6.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for first place in the AL West. They are even further behind in the Wild Card race in the American League, trailing the Minnesota Twins by seven games.
There are currently five teams between the Astros and Twins in the standings. If Houston doesn’t pick things up soon, they could become major sellers at the deadline. Jose Abreu is hoping that he can help turn that around.
Abreu returned to the Houston Astros this week after a month away from the team. He opened the season with a slash line of .099 through 22 games, hitting only one home run. His bWAR was -1.5, which prompted the team to demote him.
Alas, Jose Abreu didn’t report to the minor leagues. Instead, he was at the team’s Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. There he worked with Jeff Bagwell and former teammate Michael Brantley.
Before getting in the lineup on May 27th against the Seattle Mariners, Jose Abreu opened up about his experience. He spoke about how he felt before the demotion and the struggles he was dealing with that he hopes are now behind him.
“I was a little lost. But I’m humble enough to recognize that and I’m telling you I’m trying to be the best José Abreu I can be and the one you guys know,” he told reporters through his interpreter, Luis Contreras.
“What I can tell you is my head is in a good spot right now,” he continued. “When I was going through it, when your head is not in a good spot, you feel like everything is going down. There was a point, and I’m telling you from the bottom of my heart, I couldn’t even know how to hit, how to field.”
It sounds like getting back to basics and resetting has done Jose Abreu some good. Last week, Houston Astros manager Joe Espada provided a positive update on the former MVP, as he said Abreu looked good in the videos he saw.
“I was wrong on my swing. The games sped up on you too much and sometimes it’s tough to see where you’re at. I saw videos and everything, but I didn’t see it. But now, [hitting coach Alex Cintrón], Brantley, Bagwell, [assistant hitting coordinator Rene Rojas], we all have a good group and we found it. I hope I can show it right away, but it’s baseball and it’s a process. Hopefully I can get there.” (H/T Heavy)
The Houston Astros certainly hope so, too. Alas, Jose Abreu is far from their only issue. While his struggles were most prominent, there are several players currently underperforming. If that doesn’t change soon, their objectives for the 2024 season will need to be adjusted.
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