Indians Top 100 Prospects: #15 Abner Abreu

15. Abner Abreu - Third Baseman
Born: 10/24/1989 - Height: 6'3" - Weight: 170 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2007	17	DSL Indians	R	56	228	34	69	13	7	4	41	18	46	5	.303	.353	.474	.828
2008	18	GCL Indians	R	51	199	32	50	16	4	11	37	9	52	4	.251	.289	.538	.827
		Career		107	427	66	119	29	11	15	78	27	98	9	.279	.324	.504	.828

History:  Abreu was signed as an undrafted free agent in October 2006 out of the Dominican Republic.  When the Indians worked him out they loved his power potential and quickly signed him for $75,000.  As a 17-year old in the Dominican Summer League in 2007 he opened some eyes after he piled up 24 extra base hits in 228 at bats, and he did not disappoint in an encore this past season in the Gulf Coast League (GCL) where he finished with 31 extra base hits and lead the league in doubles (16), home runs (11), total bases (107) and slugging percentage (.538), and was second in RBI (37). 

Strengths & Opportunities:  Abreu probably has some of the best raw power in the entire organization, and as he grows into his big frame has the potential to add much more strength with the chance to have well above average power at the major league level.  His build and look is a lot like Alfonso Soriano in that he is tall and skinny with very long arms and legs, but even with his wiry frame he has some awesome raw power and the ball just explodes off his bat.  He has strong hands and a natural whip in his swing that is hard to teach, and showcases a very quick bat on inside pitches that allows him to drive the ball pull side.  He generates excellent bat speed and has the ability to hit the ball out to any part of the ballpark.  A lot of the Gulf Coast teams play in the big league spring training parks, so it is something when you see an 18-year old hitting the ball out of a major league ballpark to the opposite field. 

While he is tall and very skinny, he has a body that will allow him to gain weight and grow into it more the next few seasons.  He is an average runner, but as he fills out he could see a spike in his speed to a fringe above average.  He is a very aggressive hitter at the plate so he will likely always be prone to high strikeout totals as demonstrated by his 52 strikeouts and just 9 walks in 199 at bats in the Gulf Coast League last year.  The key going forward is not to significantly reduce the strikeouts, but to better improve his plate discipline where he can work counts a little more by being a little more patient to wait for his pitch and draw more walks. 

While he is very young and strong, Abreu is also relatively versatile.  He came in as a shortstop, but was moved to third base last year and displayed some real soft hands and good range at the position.  The Indians are not sure whether he is going to be an infielder or an outfielder, and he profiles as an average defender really anywhere, but they plan to exhaust every opportunity to keep him at a premium position in the infield at this point.  It still looks like at some point down the road because of his athleticism, cannon for an arm and of course his bat that he could be destined for a move to the outfield. 

Outlook:  The Indians are very high on Abreu and were very impressed with his power showing in the GCL where over a 500 at bat season he was on pace to hit almost 30 home runs as an 18-year old.  He definitely has a lot of room for growth physically and as a player, but he already looks like he could be a star in the making.  He should open the 2009 season at Single-A Lake County. 

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr 

Abner Abreu MinorLeagueBaseball.com stats page 

Abner Abreu Baseball-Reference page 

Abner Abreu MinorLeagueSplits.com page 

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