Start Slow, Finish Fast
RHP Albert Abreu (3.38/1.18) was injured for most of last year, and so pitched a total of 53 innings, and none of those above High-A. That should have put him on the no-fly list for this year, but the Yankees have shown they have more advanced plans for Abreu.
And for the 2018 season.
They did that when they pulled Tate from the Arizona Fall League and inserted Abreu. That move paid off as Albert shined in the desert, solidifying the Yankees projections.
Here is just a part of Sam Dykstra’s write-up for MiLB.com after Abreu won Pitcher of the Week honors with the Scottsdale Scorpions:
"Abreu, the No. 7 prospect in the Yankees’ system, made one start for Scottsdale last week and made it count. The 22-year-old right-hander struck out eight and allowed just two hits and two walks over five scoreless innings in a 10-1 win at Glendale on Tuesday. His eight K’s were the most by an AFL pitcher last week, and his five scoreless frames were only matched by Max Fried, Zach Jemiola and T.J. Zeuch. The Dominican Republic native has made two Fall League starts, giving up just one run on six hits and three walks over 10 innings. His 11 strikeouts trail only Fried (18) and fellow Yankees prospect Justus Sheffield (15) for the league lead, though both of those southpaws have made three starts."
Closer, but not a Closer
That sounds very promising. And it needs to be because the move also indicated that Abreu is closer to the majors than Tate.
He could be so close he leaves camp with the big league club, and with a job as a middle reliever. If Betances cannot regain his old form, and Robertson ends up the price for a starter, Abreu could end up pitching some very important innings in 2018.
But of course, we will finish with the most significant question mark of them all: Chance Adams.