The inside story on White Sox slugger Abreu's struggles at the plate
Jose Abreu was historically good in his first two seasons with the Chicago White Sox.
He was supposed to be even better this year.
As a rookie, Abreu primarily batted third for the Sox. With Adam Dunn providing little or no protection out of the cleanup spot, Abreu still managed to bat .317 with 36 home runs and 107 RBI while being voted American Rookie of the Year.
Abreu also finished fourth in MVP voting.
In his second season, Abreu had another monster year despite hitting in front of Adam LaRoche, who also provided little or no protection.
In addition to batting .290, Abreu had 30 homers and 101 RBI and joined Albert Pujols as the only players in major-league history to reach 30 home runs and 100 RBI in each of their first two seasons.
That leads us to this year and the increased expectations.
If Abreu put up such big numbers hitting in front of Dunn and LaRoche, imagine what he'd do with Todd Frazier moving into the cleanup spot.
"That is something very, very big and important for us, especially with the way that our offense was last year," Abreu said after Frazier joined the Sox in a trade from Cincinnati. "He's a very good player, and he's one of the best third basemen in baseball.
"We are now much better team than we were last year. I want to thank the White Sox because they made this happen; they made it possible to have Frazier with us."
Through the first third of the season, Frazier has given the Sox the power they've been lacking while playing a Gold Glove-caliber third base.
As for Abreu, he has taken a big step back.
Through Sunday, Frazier was tied with Baltimore's Mark Trumbo and Colorado's Nolan Arenado for the major-league lead with 18 home runs. After going 16 games and 70 plate appearances without a home run, Abreu finally hit his seventh of the season in Sunday's loss at Detroit.
Frazier leads the White Sox with 40 RBI and, to his credit, Abreu has managed to drive in 30 runs.
But in the telling OPS category, which adds on-base and slugging percentage, Abreu ranks fifth on the White Sox at .710. The 29-year-old first baseman had a combined .904 OPS in his first two seasons.
What has caused the drop-off?
It all starts with the pitches Abreu is seeing.
According to FanGraphs, 46 percent of the fastballs thrown to Abreu last season were inside. The strategy made sense, because Abreu can't extend his arms and drive the ball if he is getting tied up inside.
Looking at recent Sox history, two other right-handed sluggers - Frank Thomas and Paul Konerko - were regularly jammed. They also were good enough to fight off or flare pitches on the inner half and destroy pitches out over the plate.
Abreu is still learning, and earlier this year 59 percent of the fastballs he was seeing were inside, according to FanGraphs. That was the highest percentile for any right-handed hitter in baseball.
As he has struggled with inside offerings, Abreu also has shown frustration and chased outside pitches way off the plate.
Typically, opposing pitchers have gotten ahead in the count working inside before striking out Abreu swinging on outside pitches in the dirt.
For some reason, Abreu has looked overly anxious at the plate, and his refusal to accept walks (only 16 in his first 248 plate appearances) tells you he has expanded his strike zone to an unacceptable level.
A tireless worker - some believe he works too hard on his swing - Abreu has shown signs of regaining his old form. Including his home run Sunday, he was 5-for-12 in the three-game series at Detroit.
His career numbers, even only two seasons worth, strongly suggest Abreu is going to figure it out.
"I'm going to start to produce like everybody knows," he said. "It's a matter of my approach. I've been swinging at a lot of pitches out of the zone, and that's not my approach. Probably, I'm feeling the pressure because my approach is not like it used to be.
"I just have to work hard, the way I've always done."
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Scouting report
White Sox vs. Washington Nationals at U.S. Cellular Field
TV: Comcast SportsNet Tuesday and Wednesday; WPWR Thursday
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Pitching matchups: The White Sox's Mat Latos (6-1) vs. Joe Ross (5-4) Tuesday; James Shields (0-0) vs. Max Scherzer (6-4) Wednesday; Carlos Rodon (2-5) vs. Gio Gonzalez (3-4) Thursday. All games 7:10 p.m.
At a glance: The White Sox are back home after a dismal 2-7 road trip that made stops at Kansas City, New York (Mets) and Detroit. Following a 23-10 start, the Sox have lost 18 of 24. Shields makes his White Sox debut Wednesday after being acquired from the Padres in a weekend trade. The right-hander was 2-7 with a 4.28 ERA for San Diego this season. Shields is 4-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 11 career starts at the Cell. The Sox should have Melky Cabrera back in the lineup. The left fielder missed the Tigers series after being placed on the family emergency leave list. The White Sox also are hoping to get Austin Jackson back. The center fielder has missed the last six games with turf toe. Washington leads the NL East and ranks third in the major leagues with a 3.18 ERA. Bryce Harper tops the Nats with 13 home runs, but Daniel Murphy is the team leader in batting average (.384) and RBI (37). The Sox last played the Nationals in 2013, going 0-3 at Washington.
Next: Kansas City Royals at U.S. Cellular Field, Friday-Sunday
- Scot Gregor