The veteran had two stints with the Mets before retiring at the end of the season.
Bobby Abreu’s retirement may have not been as popular as former teammate Derek Jeter’s, but he accomplished so much in his 18-year career that shouldn’t go unnoticed. The two-time All-Star and recipient of both a Gold Glove award and a Silver Slugger award was the kind of veteran that the Mets needed last season.
Abreu, who’s known for his hitting, helped many of his teammates in the past and helped this young Mets roster. He has an eye at the plate and a great amount of patience that made him one of the most-walked players in the game. His career numbers include 1,476 walks, 288 home runs, and 1,363 RBI.
Before his time with the Mets, it had been a while since baseball fans had seen the outfielder. After his time with the Los Angeles Angels, he had been in the minor leagues on and off with the Los Angeles Dodgers and then sat out the 2013 season. He played in the Venezuelan Winter League, had a brief period with the Phillies and eventually signed a minor league contract with the Mets in March and was then called up in April.
As a Met, he finished the season with a .248 batting average and a .342 on base percentage. Defensively, he played 31 games in the outfield, starting 26 times. But his last year in the majors wasn’t an easy one. The Mets released Abreu on August 10, but after four days they re-signed him to another minor league contract. When rosters expanded, the Mets eventually brought him back.
On September 28, Abreu finished his career with his 2,470th hit; a single to left and left the game with a standing ovation from the crowd at Citi Field. He retired with a .291 batting average and a .395 on-base percentage. Ironically, Abreu’s first manager he worked for in the majors was also the last manager he would work for, Terry Collins. Abreu's career will be remembered by everyone in the organization, whether they worked with him in the minors or the majors.
Desired 2015 role: Becoming a hitting coach, maybe even within the Mets minor league system.
Expected 2015 role: Enjoying retirement, spending some time in Venezuela…and then getting back to the game as a hitting coach.