José Abreu laughed whereas pondering whether or not August was his favourite month to hit.
The numbers make a powerful case.
Abreu has a .334/.389/.606 slash line with 58 doubles, 58 residence runs, 172 RBIs, 146 runs and a .995 OPS in 219 profession video games in August.
The 58 residence runs are 17 greater than another month (41 in May). His 172 RBIs are 29 extra (143 in May), and his .995 OPS is .152 increased (.843 in July).
His 172 August RBIs since 2014 are probably the most within the majors.
“I think it’s just the work because my body feels good,” Abreu mentioned by way of an interpreter Thursday afternoon at Globe Life Field. “But this time of the season, my physique all the time feels good. I hope that I can carry that into the longer term and maintain feeling good and wholesome as I’ve been in August.
“There’s not a key for me, just work.”
He’s 5-for-16 with two residence runs and 6 RBIs within the staff’s first 4 video games this month. To be truthful, Abreu’s latest tear began properly earlier.
He’s slashing .374/.425/.568 with 12 doubles, 5 residence runs, 23 RBIs and 11 walks in his final 36 video games. Abreu has 17 multihit performances throughout that stretch, hitting safely in 32 of these video games and reaching base safely in 34.
“I don’t know how I’m feeling right now, but I will say I won’t be tired from working hard to get the results I want to get,” Abreu mentioned.
Abreu, 35, entered Friday’s sport towards the Texas Rangers slashing .302/.383/.477 with 14 residence runs and 55 RBIs this season.
“He’s a phenomenal hitter,” Sox first baseman/outfielder Andrew Vaughn mentioned earlier this week. “Seriously one of the best in the league. Just to watch him go day in and day out. He struggled the first month of the year, and everybody is like ‘Hold on, just wait. It’s (Abreu). He’s going to come back.’ … He’s just doing his thing.”
Abreu’s 135 weighted runs-created plus (wRC+), in response to fangraphs.com, ranks eleventh within the American League. The stat estimates a participant’s offensive contribution in whole runs and adjusts that quantity to account for exterior elements akin to ballpark and period. The major-league common is 100, that means Abreu is 35% above that.
Abreu leads the AL with 119 hits and leads the Sox in doubles (27, sixth within the AL), residence runs, RBIs, walks (48), slugging and OPS (.860, eighth within the AL). The 48 walks are 13 shy of tying his profession excessive of 61 in 2021.
“He’s hitting good and I hope he keeps doing that because it helps the team,” left fielder Eloy Jiménez mentioned earlier this week. “He’s working hard. If you are working hard, something like that is going to happen.”
Sox supervisor Tony La Russa praised Abreu’s preparation.
“He was out here, he, Eloy and (catcher Yasmani Grandal) off the machine probably hit a hundred balls apiece,” La Russa mentioned Thursday. “His work ethic and his competitive fire is as good as anybody I’ve ever been around. He’s tough, very, very tough.”
While Abreu has spent many of the season at first base (83 video games), he has seen extra time at designated hitter (20) than he did all of final season (18). He has been productive in each roles, slashing .294/.372/.462 in 358 plate appearances whereas slotted at first and .333/.429/.539 in 91 plate appearances because the DH.
“I think he knows, (it) benefits him and benefits us,” La Russa mentioned.
The Sox hope it continues as they attempt to monitor down the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians within the American League Central. The Sox entered Friday in third place, two video games behind the division-leading Twins and one sport again of the Guardians.
“We are a good team,” Abreu mentioned. “We know that. Our purpose needs to be attempting to remain wholesome. If we keep wholesome and we keep on the sphere, we all know we’re going to be good.
“Our mindset, let’s give it all to these (57) games to see what happens. Let’s do our best. Let’s work hard together. We’ll see at the end. That’s our mindset right now.”
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com
