Oops! All Astros: Wilyer Abreu

The Crawfish Boxes Houston Astros full-system review is already in full swing.

Although he’s already gone from the system, Wilyer Abreu is the 110th player we’ve talked about so far in the series. A six-foot, 217 lb. left-handed outfielder, Abreu was born in Maracaibo, VZ on June 24, 1999. He signed with the Astros soon after his 18th birthday for a contract that included a $300,000 signing bonus.

Abreu is currently the number 23 prospect in Boston’s system. His best rating is a 55, which he can boast in fielding and in arm strength. His power and run tools are at 50.

After signing, Abreu worked his way up through Houston’s system, spending 2021 with the High-A Asheville Tourists. The 2022 campaign would see him start the year at the Double-A level with the Corpus Christi Hooks.

On April 15, Abreu fell a triple short of the cycle, scoring three times, knocking three in, and stealing a base in a 15-11 win against the Midland RockHounds. On July 14, he hit a single, two doubles, and a home run, scoring twice and collecting six RBI in a 16-3 win over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. On July 31, he drew two walks and hit two home runs, scoring three times and knocking five in as the Hooks beat the Amarillo Sod Poodles, 13-4.

In 89 games for the Hooks, Abreu slashed .249/.399/.459 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI. Maybe more impressively, he also stole 23 bases in 24 attempts. On August 2, the Astros sent him and fellow prospect Enmanuel Valdez to the Boston Red Sox for Christian Vázquez.

At present, the Astros absolutely got what they wanted out of this trade. If either Vázquez or Abreu end up becoming superstars, maybe we’ll look back on this trade a little differently. Vázquez hit .250 in 35 regular season games for the Astros, and went three-for-14 in the postseason. Abreu could get to the majors as soon as late next year.