Why Abreu is Overrated

Here’s the backstory. Good friend of mine hates Bobby A. Plain hates him. Thinks he’s the most overrated player in the league and obviously the most overrated player on the Phillies.

Here’s reason #867 why he hates Abreau.

Ok, so now I've spent a couple mins researching Bobby's numbers, and I'm just plain freakin furious. I'm so mad that he's still a Phillie, I think I ruined my weekend. Goddamnit. I'm pissed.

You say Abreu is the best all around hitter on the team?

I say, f#$%ing b@#^*sh*@!^^t.

Utley clearly took that crown last season.

Look no further than the final weekend of the season, 2005. The Phillies were playing their most meaningful baseball games in a dozen years. They were playing what amounted to elimination/playoff-level baseball. They went into RFK needing to win every single game against the Nats.

And Chase Utley, playing his first full season, and Ryan Howard, capping half a season of baseball, carried that team to a 3-game sweep. Yes, they came up 1 game short. That's true. But here's what the kids did for the Phils that weekend:

Utley -- 6 for 12, with 2 homers and 4 rbi. He destroyed the Nats pitching that weekend.

Howard -- 5 for 12, two homers and 6 rbi, including a 4 rbi game on Saturday that cinched his rookie of the year award.

And so there's Bobby Abreu, who by all measures -- talent, an All Star appearance, being the longest serving every day player on the team -- should be the unequivocal leader of the team on the field and in the clubhouse.

How did Bobby respond to that pressure? How did bobby handle the pitching of a Nats team that had already been eliminatd from the playoffs? How did Bobby perform when his team needed him the most?

Abreu -- 1 for 12, 2 rbi. His only hit in the series came in the top of the 9th inning on Sunday, driving in a run with a double when the Phils were already ahead 5-3 and Wagner was already warming up in the pen with the game's outcome sealed.

He STINKS.