Astros fans frustrated with Jose Abreu's inability to raise their performance amid early season struggles: "Maybe the chains are weighing him down"

Jose Abreu was supposed to be the big piece that cemented the Houston Astros as legitimate repeat threats. Through the first portion of the season, Abreu has been a disaster. He's contributed -0.9 fWAR and is legitimately one of the worst starters in baseball in that regard. His offense, which was a big draw for teams wanting to sign him, has been putrid. He's hitting at a 46 wRC+ clip, which is 54 points below the league average. He's slashing .218/.265/.261. His defense has been a surprisingly decent -1 defensive run saved thus far. Still, that's far from good. Chandler Rome@Chandler_RomeJosé Abreu, hitting cleanup for the 31st time in 36 games, grounded out with runners on first and second, one out and Shohei Ohtani on the ropes. Abreu has taken 42 plate appearances with runners in scoring position this season. He is 9-for-39 with five singles, no HR and 13 RBIs34734José Abreu, hitting cleanup for the 31st time in 36 games, grounded out with runners on first and second, one out and Shohei Ohtani on the ropes. Abreu has taken 42 plate appearances with runners in scoring position this season. He is 9-for-39 with five singles, no HR and 13 RBIsChandler Rome summed it up on Twitter:&quot;José Abreu, hitting cleanup for the 31st time in 36 games, grounded out with runners on first and second, one out and Shohei Ohtani on the ropes. Abreu has taken 42 plate appearances with runners in scoring position this season. He is 9-for-39 with five singles, no HR and 13 RBIs.&quot;Abreu has been bad, but he's also getting a lot of opportunities. Dusty Baker hasn't dropped him from the lineup nor has he put him on the bench. Many fans are frustrated with both parties in this situation. WATTtf 💍@_htx_sports@Chandler_Rome Such an awful signing that dusty is making even worse by letting him kill our middle of the lineup2@Chandler_Rome Such an awful signing that dusty is making even worse by letting him kill our middle of the lineupDavid Brooks@dbrice96_@Chandler_Rome This is no longer about moving him down in the lineup. That won’t change a thing. He’s getting 75% Fastballs already. I think the rubber band around his beard is too tight. Heck maybe the chains are weighing him down too. Or the unbuttoned shirt throwing him off balance3@Chandler_Rome This is no longer about moving him down in the lineup. That won’t change a thing. He’s getting 75% Fastballs already. I think the rubber band around his beard is too tight. Heck maybe the chains are weighing him down too. Or the unbuttoned shirt throwing him off balanceCEVARO@credievaro@Chandler_Rome Why is he stil clean up? Is this a dusty or Dana decision?2@Chandler_Rome Why is he stil clean up? Is this a dusty or Dana decision?Jeff Bulman@JeffBulman@Chandler_Rome It’s inexcusable. You could blindly pick players and come up with a better lineup.12@Chandler_Rome It’s inexcusable. You could blindly pick players and come up with a better lineup.Jake Tanner@JTTX16@Chandler_Rome It's pretty damn irresponsible to keep him hitting in that spot.11@Chandler_Rome It's pretty damn irresponsible to keep him hitting in that spot.fcbKimmich@w4nner7489@Chandler_Rome Im losing my mind everytime i watch him1@Chandler_Rome Im losing my mind everytime i watch himHodges@hodgesdh1@Chandler_Rome My thing is why do Dusty keep him in 4th and 5th spot, his ass need to be 7th or 8th. I will never understand people love for him. Should’ve gave the job to Joe Espada this winter imo.2@Chandler_Rome My thing is why do Dusty keep him in 4th and 5th spot, his ass need to be 7th or 8th. I will never understand people love for him. Should’ve gave the job to Joe Espada this winter imo.Derek Anchondo@derek_anchondo@Chandler_Rome It’s infuriating to watch Dusty march him out there batting clean-up game after game@Chandler_Rome It’s infuriating to watch Dusty march him out there batting clean-up game after gameHTX Sports Speaks@HTXSportsSpeak@Chandler_Rome Chandler I am losing my mind5@Chandler_Rome Chandler I am losing my mindThe Astros have limped out to a .500 record of 18-18, which is far from what was expected of the defending champions. Not many players are hitting well for Houston, but Abreu has certainly not helped them play any better. How is Jose Abreu's predecessor doing in Miami? No one would have ever thought that signing Jose Abreu and moving on from the abysmal Yuli Gurriel would backfire on the Astros, but it just might have. At least in the early going, it's seemingly looked like a mistake so far. How bad has Jose Abreu been?Gurriel hasn't been good either, but he's at least a neutral player with 0.0 fWAR for the Miami Marlins. His wRC+ of 91 is below average, but it's almost twice as productive as Abreu has been. He's been slightly worse defensively with a -3 defensive runs saved, but the Astros would likely take the offensive production over a loss of defense.

No Results Found