Here's why Bobby Abreu has HOF credentials

This browser does not support the video element.

It's not difficult to make the case against Bobby Abreu for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Just a cursory look at his Baseball-Reference page provides you with all the evidence you need. Only two All-Star selections. One Silver Slugger Award. No top-10 finishes in MVP voting. Very little bold type. No playoff success. Abreu hasn't exceeded 20 percent in any of his five years on the BBWAA ballot, and all of those facts make his low support understandable.

But please ponder these rhetorical questions: How is it Abreu's fault that fans and baseball writers completely overlooked his productivity in real time? How is it his fault that he spent much of his career on a bunch of also-ran Phillies teams?

Of course, Abreu had no control over that stuff, but it seems to have overshadowed what he actually did on the field. Take his 2004 season as just one example. He put together a .301/.428/.544 slash line while becoming the only player in AL/NL history to record at least 75 extra-base hits, 100 RBIs, 125 walks and 40 stolen bases in a single season. He finished 23rd in NL MVP voting.

When you view Abreu's career in full context, it's clear that he was one of the best offensive performers of his generation. Here are the reasons why he deserves a spot in Cooperstown.

This browser does not support the video element.

An on-base machine

Stats such as on-base percentage and walks don't make for the sexiest Hall of Fame arguments, but Abreu's calling card as a player was his incredible ability to reach base. It's a skill that wasn't properly valued by many during Abreu's prime in the late '90s and early 2000s, when crazy home run totals ruled the day, but anyone can now see just how elite Abreu was at getting on base.

Over the course of his career (1996-2014), only Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Chipper Jones reached base more times than Abreu (3,979). He ranks 49th all-time in that category, just ahead of Tim Raines and Tony Gwynn. Of the 45 players ahead of him on the list who have been eligible for election, 39 are in the Hall of Fame.

Abreu led the Majors with 1,396 walks from 1998-2011 and ranks 20th on the all-time list. He recorded at least 100 walks or a .400-plus on-base percentage eight times over a nine-season span from 1998-06. The only players with more 100-walk seasons in the Divisional Era (since 1969) are Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas and Jim Thome. Twelve players during that same period have finished more seasons with at least a .400 on-base percentage. Seven of them are in the Hall while the other five are Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Albert Pujols, Joey Votto and Gary Sheffield.

This browser does not support the video element.

A dual threat

Abreu had much more going for him beyond his fantastic eye at the plate. Although most fans likely remember him winning the 2005 Home Run Derby, he didn't put up ridiculous power numbers; his single-season career high in homers was 31. However, Abreu did plenty of damage with his bat and was a terror on the basepaths. He completed nine seasons with at least 60 extra-base hits and at least 20 stolen bases. No one else has done that more often in AL/NL history. The only player with eight such seasons is Bonds.

Let's have some more fun with random endpoints. Abreu tallied 288 home runs and 400 steals during his 18-year career; only four other players in AL/NL history have reached those benchmarks: Craig Biggio, Rickey Henderson, Barry Bonds and his father, Bobby.

Also, Abreu registered 921 extra-base hits in the Majors, making him one of seven players in the Modern Era (since 1900) with at least 900 XBHs and 400 steals, joining Biggio, Barry Bonds, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Tris Speaker and Paul Molitor. Only Bonds, Cobb and Speaker recorded a higher career on-base percentage than Abreu's .395.

Legendary comparisons

Was Bobby Abreu a better player than Tony Gwynn or Ichiro Suzuki? Perhaps the mere suggestion offends some readers, but he put up loftier numbers than those legends of the game in some categories.

Abreu hit more than twice as many dingers as Gwynn, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and topped him in OBP by seven percentage points. A comparison of those two players, as MLB.com's Mike Petriello presented in 2021, is much closer than you probably think.

While Ichiro had about 600 more hits in the Major Leagues, Abreu has him beat by significant margins in wOBA (.378 to .328) and wRC+ (129 to 104), among other categories. Ichiro's single-season career high in wRC+ 131, a number that Abreu bested seven times during his career.

There are 29 right fielders in Cooperstown, and Abreu ranks inside the top 10 in OBP, walks, stolen bases and doubles. He is tied for 11th in extra-base hits. His 60.2 bWAR sits 15th among those Hall of Famers and surpasses the likes of Vladimir Guerrero (59.5) and Enos Slaughter (57.6). He also edges out Ichiro (60.0).

This browser does not support the video element.

The best ability is availability

Abreu completed seven seasons with at least 5.0 bWAR -- more than Jeter, Ichiro, Guerrero, Biggio and Gwynn, to name a few -- which really speaks to his plate prowess since he was not a plus fielder for the bulk of his career. Abreu's reputation as a poor fielder was accentuated by complaints from Phillies fans that he didn't hustle a la Lenny Dykstra, who was known for putting his body on the line in the outfield.

But by not sacrificing his physical well-being on defense, Abreu was able to stay in the lineup nearly every day and produce boffo numbers. He appeared in at least 150 games in each season from 1998-2010. The only players to play in that many games in 13 or more seasons during the Divisional Era are Ichiro, Jeter, Rafael Palmeiro, Cal Ripken Jr., Pete Rose and Eddie Murray.

Abreu suited up for more games (2,031) than any other player during that 13-season span while posting a .297 average, a .402 on-base percentage and a 134 wRC+.

This browser does not support the video element.

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com