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Wilyer Abreu's Outfield Brilliance is Summed Up by One Play originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Wilyer Abreu is one of the best outfielders in baseball.
Those who watch the Boston Red Sox on a daily basis know that, and it's about the total package out there on the grass -- his arm, instincts and hand-eye coordination all allow for some special plays.
One play he made this week against the Chicago White Sox looked simple, but it actually captured why he's such a good outfielder.
On a line drive to right, toward the line, Abreu ranged over and made the catch on the run.
Abreu didn't have to slide or dive. He didn't even quite seem to be at full extension.
MLB's Statcast system recorded the play as a 20% catch probability. And to the untrained eye, that'd be surprising.
But the key is that Abreu got a jump nine feet better than an average outfielder -- which is astounding.
He was a couple steps ahead of where the average outfielder would be, and it showed:
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This is such a cool and underrated aspect of playing the outfield that goes unnoticed. The data allows more insights into who actually gets the best jumps, though.
A player who reacts immediately and takes an efficient route to the ball can make up for a lack of raw speed. Some of the fastest players in baseball, like Tampa Bay's Chandler Simpson and Philadelphia's Justin Crawford, aren't even good outfielders.
Abreu, though, is an incredible outfielder. He deserves all the plaudits he gets. And in large part, it's because of plays like the one above, where he simply beats the ball to the spot through subtle details that most outfielders don't do anywhere near as well as he does.
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