Abreu's Influence Sparks Angels' Success

Stan McNeal - SportingNews.com

Bobby Abreu is showing off a few dance moves inside the visitors' clubhouse in Kansas City, shimmying and shaking with the rhythm of someone who can handle himself on a dance floor. His Angels teammates are so unimpressed they don't bother to look up.

The Angels, however, pay attention to Abreu in another spot.

When he steps into a batter's box, they watch him as closely as an orchestra follows its conductor. Judging by their statistics, they are proving to be excellent students.

With much the same lineup as last year -- Abreu and first baseman Kendry Morales are the only new regulars -- L.A. leads the majors in batting average even after a recent slump. Their .287 average is 19 points better than last year. They also are second in the AL in runs scored after finishing 10th in 2008.

But another stat is even more telling about Abreu's influence on his teammates: pitches per plate appearance. The Angels -- those not named Vladimir Guerrero, anyway -- are learning that aggressive hitting does not necessarily mean swinging at the first good pitch. Last year, the Angels watched fewer pitches than any team in the majors. This year, they are up to eighth in pitches per plate appearance.

"Bobby has brought something different to this ballclub," center fielder Torii Hunter says. "I won't say it's all patience. I'll say it's more about hitting pitches that are in the strike zone. When you hit a pitch in the strike zone, you have a better chance of getting a hit than when it's out of the strike zone."

Third baseman Chone Figgins puts it this way: "It's not that I'm trying to take pitches. I'm just trying to eliminate putting a pitcher's pitch in play. Instead of swinging at a 1-0 pitch that I can't do much with, I'm taking it so maybe I can get to 2-0, a better situation for me."

The new approach is resulting in career years for Figgins and Hunter. Figgins has emerged as baseball's best leadoff hitter and has an on-base percentage over .400 for the first time in his career. He also is hitting .305 and leads the AL in runs scored and times reaching base. Hunter, a 12-year veteran, is heading for career-bests in batting average and OBP. "I've learned from Bobby and that's why I'm hitting .300 for the first time," he admits.

Players sharing tips

Outfielder Juan Rivera and the second base-shortstop combo of Erick Aybar and Maicer Izturis also have boosted their numbers, though improved discipline isn't the only reason Aybar is hitting .307, 30 points better than a year ago.

"He's just had bad luck," hitting coach Mickey Hatcher says. "Over last three years, this guy hit the ball harder consistently than any player I've seen but it always seemed to be right at people. I can remember back-to-back games when he was 0-for-5 and lined out like 10 times. It was to the point where I said, 'Do I need to get candles? Do we need to get a chicken?' Nobody wanted to sit next to him it got so bad."

This year, Hatcher looks in the dugout and sees his guys all in a row, sharing batting tips. The club has needed every bit of its offensive increase. Angels' pitching only recently has found some consistency -- the staff ranks an uncharacteristic 11th in AL ERA -- but still has managed to take control of the AL West.

Abreu, a last-minute, bargain pickup by the club, has been happy to bring to the West what he admits is a different game from the East. "The games go faster even, though it's still the American League," he says. "It's a different kind of game with not as many pitches taken. I've brought a little something different.

"The guys are doing good trying to understand that you need to wait for your pitch. When you're hitting, you don't have to be afraid of the count. The count doesn't matter to me. Sometimes, I see the best pitch to hit with two strikes."

Abreu is headed for his standard statistical season -- the kind that has made him one of the game's most professional hitters. He is on pace to end up with (or close to) a .300 average and .400 OBP with 100 RBIs, 100 runs and 100 walks.

With numbers like those, it's no wonder the Angels study his moves -- at the plate, anyway.

Stan McNeal is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at smcneal@sportingnews.com.

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