---

One of over 100 MLB players born in the city of Maracay, Venezuela, Bobby Abreu became one of his nation’s best big league players. Among the 470+ players hailing from his country, only Miguel Cabrera has a higher career WAR. Under appreciated by fans and media members alike, Abreu nonetheless has quite a case for Cooperstown.

Bobby suited up for 6 teams over the course of his 18-year big league career. Nine of his seasons were in Philadelphia where he hit .303 with a .416 on-base percentage, and a .513 slugging mark. In his 8 full seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, Abreu had four campaigns with a WAR over 6.0, and three more over 5.0. From 1998-2005 he totaled 45.2 WAR.

WAR7 is a stat that totals a performer’s top 7 seasons in terms of WAR. The average WAR7 for Cooperstown right fielders is 42.4. Abreu’s 41.6 compares nicely. His 60.2 career WAR ranks ahead of Cooperstown right fielders Vladimir Guerrero, Enos Slaughter, Wee Willie Keeler, Chuck Klein, Sam Rice, Tony Oliva, and others.

Traditional baseball fans often eschew WAR however. They prefer more easily-identifiable achievements like league-leading numbers and milestone achievements. In that way, Abreu falls short.

An all-around performer, Abreu achieved his WAR totals without one singular standout skill. Indeed, he led the league in offensive categories only twice in his career – once in doubles and triples. With 2,470 hits, 1,453 runs scored, 574 doubles, 288 homers, 1,363 RBI, 400 stolen bases, he has no milestone number.

That his 1,476 walks is surpassed by only 19 men in baseball history is not memorable. Nor is his gaudy extra-base hit total of 921  – a figure bested by only 60 hitters. Few know or care that his 400 career stolen bases rank 74th all time.

The under-the-radar star is one of only 7 men to record at least 900 extra-base hits and 400 steals. The other six are all recognized as truly great players: Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker,  Paul Molitor, Craig Biggio, & Barry Bonds.

Those numbers do matter, they are valuable. But are they enough?

Abreu first became eligible for Cooperstown on the 2020 Hall of Fame ballot. He was one of only two newcomers to the ballot to garner at least 5% of the vote. While Derek Jeter was a first-time selection at 99.7%, Abreu’s 5.5% kept him in consideration. As voters become more sophisticated in evaluating production, his vote totals figure to rise.

Shown here is the receipt Abreu signed to collect his 2004 All Star ring. That season might’ve been his finest. He slashed .301/.428/.544 with 30 homers, 47 doubles, 118 runs scored, and 105 RBI. He swiped 40 bags and was caught stealing only 5 times. Bobby’s 6.6 WAR was his career best.