Don't look now, but Wilyer Abreu may be turning into a legitimate star for the Boston Red Sox.
The Venezuelan native was already one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, winning a Gold Glove award in each of the last two seasons (and he will probably make it a third year in a row this season), but now that his bat looks as good as it ever had, it's fair to think he has taken that next step.
On the year, Abreu is batting .267 with 15 home runs (second on the team behind Willson Contreras' 22), 50 RBIs (also second behind Contreras' 66), and a .800 OPS. All these numbers are career highs or on pace to be, but he's really turned it up since the All-Star break (.389 BA, 4 HRs, 7 RBIs, 1.587 OPS, hit the game-winning HR against the Tampa Bay Rays on Jul. 18, and just took home the AL Player of the Week award).
Abreu is turning into a star, and it's time for the rest of the MLB to take notice.
Wilyer Abreu makes up one of the Red Sox' most important units
The 27-year-old is playing the best baseball of his career and deserved All-Star consideration this year. His glove has always been valuable, but his development at the plate has turned things up to another level.
Abreu is one of the Red Sox' most important players because of his all-around play, and he has come up big multiple times during the team's winning streak. And on top of that, his presence in the outfield (which is one of the team's most important units) makes him that much more valuable.
The combination of Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela (who became a first-time All-Star this year), and Jarren Duran (kind of)/Masataka Yoshida makes Boston's outfield incredibly intriguing. And that's not even factoring in the absence of Roman Anthony, who, allegedly, is supposed to be the Red Sox' best hitter (he really might be, but it's hard to prove that since he's rarely suiting up).
They've all been important during Boston's hot streak, but nobody has stepped up the way Abreu has. Obviously, he's going to come back down to earth at some point (or maybe he's the next Barry Bonds... I guess only time will tell), but either way, he has proven to be crucial to the Red Sox' success so far.
And given that October baseball might actually be on the menu in Boston, the team is going to need Abreu to be on his A-game as much as possible moving forward.
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