Reports from El Nuevo Herald, are swirling on the internet that Cuban slugger and first baseman Jose Dariel Abreu has defected and is currently in either the Dominican Republic or Haiti. Abreu is widely considered to be Cuba’s top slugger amongst baseball experts, and his defection could set off a bidding war amongst major league teams if true.
Abreu, 26, tied for the Cuban league lead in home runs last season with 19 in just 264 at bats.
Abreu represented Cuba in this springs World Baseball Classic where he went 9 for 25 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI.
In light of the success of defected Cuban stars Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes, the interest in Abreu who is entering his prime years and looks ready to step straight into a major league lineup will be immense. With Abreu also being free from Major League Baseball’s International Signing Bonus rules and restrictions, it could also drive the price way up.
There is little doubt that Abreu has talent, and he has been called the best hitter not in Major League Baseball. In a previous Grantland article, Oakland Athletics assistant GM David Forst compared Abreu to Philadelphia first baseman Ryan Howard, and writer Jonah Keri called him the best hitter in the world. The numbers Abreu has put up in the Cuban League are staggering.
“A .453 batting average; .597 on-base percentage; .986 slugging percentage. Thirty-three homers and 93 runs batted in … in 212 at-bats.
You look at the numbers, squint, and then look again. These are Baseball Stars numbers, a video game creation, with abilities cranked up to the max. There’s no way a professional baseball player could have done this.
Except someone did. His name is Jose Abreu. He just might be the best hitter in the world. And you’ve probably never heard of him.”
Given the talent and potential, a contract in the range of $70 million would not be out of the question. Breaking the Cuban free agent signing record of 7 years and $42 million that the Dodgers gave Puig last year seems all but assured.
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