GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A torrid end to 2016 that saw him hit .338/.402/.568 over the final two months and log a 40-home run pace put to bed most of the concerns about Jose Abreu’s prodigious offensive skills. But as much as he tried to downplay concern at the time, the struggles worried Abreu enough to call his family together.
“Right after last season ended, I had my meeting at my house with my family, just to explain to them how the season was because they know about baseball,” Abreu said through an interpreter Sunday. “But sometimes they can't register how the process is in a season as long as the major-league season is.