We as Yankee fans know that Bobby Abreu had a sub-par season last year. But with a new season and an entire winter of rest, how will this impact Abreu? We all remember that last spring Bobby sprained his oblique muscle and we can safely say that it impacted his season. A relatively strong start faded away to a struggle over the summer and a strong return in the latter months. The power wasn't there last year, which may have been because of the oblique strain. Abreu seems in a groove this spring, belting a homer in the past week. We can only hope that this carries over to the start of the season.

 Not only is Bobby's offense a pivotal part of the Yankees line-up, his defense is vital. He's got an arm that can contest with most outfielders of the day (Vlad "the impaler" not included). So it is important that his defense and offense build from each other. If statistics continue, he'll have a solid defensive year like always. The only problem that we might attest to is the offense. Abreu isn't getting any younger, and his numbers have been steadily declining over the past two years. It seems as if he used up the rest of his career home runs in the 2005 home run derby. We can only help that he has a stellar year, at least as he did in the last half of 2006 when coming to the Bronx. We all know that after coming to the Bronx in July of 2006, Bob had a fantastic second half, hitting well above .300.

I, as much as anyone, wants Bobby Abreu to do well this year, but it's time to be realistic. Unless something stellar happens, look for Abreu to hit around .277 with 13-15 HRs and 95-100 RBIs. Still, expect the classic OBP to stay well above .400. Although he is getting older, he'll still keep that ability to spot balls in the zone.