“Fantastic,” stated Sox hitting coach Pete Fatse, who added that Abreu is combining traits that may mark him as “elite.”
The Sox acknowledge traps in early season rushes to judgment. But in addition they really feel the preliminary days of the season have added to mounting proof they’d seen all through the spring — each in the Grapefruit League and when Abreu starred for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic — of an improved strategy that has a likelihood to raise Abreu amongst the higher hitters in the sport.
“The cool thing is, we’ve seen a lot of small doses [of approach gains] throughout camp,” stated Fatse. “We still have a ways to go before it becomes completely sticky, but the reality is, it’s been something that he’s been prioritizing.”
So what’s Abreu prioritizing? The 26-year-old recognized a few components.
First, he wished to turn out to be extra compact in his swing — thus permitting him to raised deal with fastballs at the high of the zone, a weak point in previous years. Through three video games, his swing was averaging 6.7 ft — about seven inches lower than his common swing size previous to this season — and had been flatter by means of the zone, creating fewer holes.
“I’m just trying to be shorter with my swing, keep my hands closer to my body,” stated Abreu. “That’s one of the things I did this offseason.”
He’s additionally labored to give attention to the center of the area as a default setting in his strategy, relatively than pulling the ball. Abreu has a knack for driving the ball in the air in the air even when he lets it journey deep in the zone, an unusual reward.
He’s additionally labored to give attention to the center of the area as a default setting in his strategy, relatively than pulling the ball. Abreu has an unusual reward for driving the ball in the air even when he lets it journey deep in the zone.
“He’s extremely powerful,” stated Fatse. “That’s the thing — understanding how powerful you are. You can be short and explosive. You don’t necessarily need more length to generate bat speed.”
Abreu is more and more coming to an understanding that he’s able to driving the ball out to all fields. Entering 2026, 37 of his 39 profession homers, together with all 22 in 2025, have been to the proper of middle area. But the Sox felt he had a pure capability to drive the ball to middle and left, and Abreu labored to develop that talent over the offseason.
He constructed on these efforts in spring coaching, then turbocharged them throughout the WBC whereas working with Team Venezuela hitting coach Miguel Cabrera and assistant supervisor Victor Martínez.
“I was able to hear that conversation and the motivational speech from Victor,” stated Astros bench coach Omar López, the supervisor of Team Venezuela. “[Martinez] mentioned to him, ‘Wilyer, you’ve got power for [the pull] side, but you also can generate power at Fenway Park on the left side if you let the ball travel more. And then when you go to the other fields, there’s some big gaps on that field. If you’re able to do that, you’re going to use the whole field. Now how are they going to play defense on you?’”
Abreu labored with Martínez and Cabrera on how you can use the energy of his decrease physique to carry his route up the center, relatively than flying open in pursuit of pull-side energy. The consequence was evident in a homer to middle in opposition to Team USA in the championship sport. Abreu, who beamed about the likelihood to work with a pair of Venezuelan legends, believes he’s able to maintain an efficient all-fields strategy that might elevate his numbers.
“I’ve been trying to use the whole field [in past years]. I just didn’t do it the right way. I think this year, I’m in a better position to use the whole field. That’s kind of new for me this year, but I know I have the ability to do that,” stated Abreu. “I think if I keep this path of my swing, trying to use the other way, too, and not only pull everything, I think I’m going to be in a good spot to improve my numbers and improve all my stats.”
If Abreu does that, he has a likelihood to emerge as a particular expertise — a part of the crew’s pondering once they stored him largely off limits in commerce talks this winter. Four years after the Sox acquired Abreu in a deadline deal from the Astros for Christian Vázquez, he’s flourishing.
The early glimpses from Abreu, then, supply appreciable promise to a lineup in the hunt for anchors — and have caught the discover of the remainder of the baseball world.
“He’s fun to watch. He’s a great hitter. What he did in the WBC was electric. It was amazing to see that,” stated Vázquez, now again with the Astros. “It’s very cool to have [been part of] a trade like that, with a player of that caliber that he has. I’m very happy for him.”
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.
