The most exciting event in baseball happened in the last 24 hours.
That's right, Bobby Abreu resigned with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim!
Let's face it, I care more about my dog's opinions on philosophy than the achievements of the New York Yankees. Congrats to them on a great year and all, but I can't wait to beat them next season.
On the other hand, Abreu signing a two-year extension for $19 million with a club option for 2012 is truly thrilling, especially for Angels fans.
The conclusion of the World Series on Wednesday night marked the beginning of one of the toughest offseasons for the Angels in recent memory.
Four key players in Abreu, Chone Figgins, John Lackey, and Vladimir Guerrero all entered the free agent market the moment the Yankees clinched their 27th championship.
Unfortunately, the buzz around the organization is they'll likely only re-sign two of those players, maybe three if the circumstances are right.
If that's true, Abreu was a pivotal name to bring back and should help alleviate some of the Angels' offseason stress.
Abreu batted .293 last season, and was second on the team in RBI with 103 (Kendry Morales had 108) and stolen bases with 30 (Figgins had 42). He also swung a .556 clip with four walks and two doubles in the Angels' three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS.
But his greatest impact on this team cannot be quantified in stats.
Despite winning three more games in 2008, the Angels were a better team in 2009, thanks almost entirely to Abreu's tutelage.
When he joined the Angels in spring training, he brought along his years of experience and his patient approach at the plate.
The Angels took to his teachings like a duck to water.
Suddenly, guys like Morales, Howie Kendrick, and Erick Aybar were working counts, taking walks, and swinging at better pitches—a shocking and welcome sight, to say the least.
The result? The Angels lead the league in team batting average and average with runners in scoring position, were second in runs scored, third in on-base percentage, and fourth in slugging.
Abreu also seemed to have success bringing his calm demeanor from the field to the dugout and the clubhouse.
Search player quotes all you like, but you won't find a negative word said about the once-and-future right fielder.
In fact, the Angels appeared to really come together this season as a team, feeding off Abreu's positive energy and working together as one. This was especially meaningful after the tragic death of Nick Adenhart rocked the Angels' clubhouse.
Throughout the season, though, the team's focus never strayed, they never turned against one another when things got bad, and they never gave up when they were down.
The offseason is just one day old, and the Angels have promises to keep and miles to go before they sleep. But today, they have one less thing to worry about.
Abreu was a great signing last year—the steal of the offseason to some—and his re-signing should prove equally valuable.
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