How Jose Abreu went from career lows to ALCS dominance
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Buster Olney, ESPN Senior Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas — In the worst of times for Jose Abreu, among the many days and weeks of professional failure for someone who had had so much success, he ran into Reggie Jackson, the Hall of Famer who serves as an adviser in the Houston Astros organization, at Minute Maid Park. The two men walked across the outfield early one May afternoon, and Abreu, speaking in Spanish, quietly “talked and talked and talked,” Jackson recalled late Thursday night. And Jackson listened.
Maybe Abreu sought out Jackson because he’s a former MVP, someone who could relate to Abreu’s challenges as a slugger with high expectations for himself. Maybe it was because Jackson is part of the Astros’ leadership. Or maybe it was because Jackson understands what it means to be a star moving from one team to another and feeling like you’re letting new teammates down. What Abreu said to Jackson that day — the feelings he expressed — now must feel like some nightmare, one that he has moved beyond to assume his intended role as a clubhouse and production leader.
Abreu clubbed a pivotal three-run homer in the Astros’ 10-3 wipeout of Texas in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series Thursday night, and after he waded through 20 minutes of media questions about his restored preeminence, describing a strange tag that he made to blunt a Texas Rangers rally and laughing about his first stolen base in 925 days, Abreu walked over to teammate Martin Maldonado, grinning. He lifted a fist, as if he was going to club his friend, before gently tapping Maldonado on the back. Each chuckled, sharing silent emotions.
A moment like Abreu had in Game 4, Maldonado said later, “couldn’t happen to a better person, after everything he has been through; it has been tough.”
After a first half that ranks among the lowest in his career — his .537 April OPS was the worst of any month he’s ever had –, Abreu is mashing again, wrecking the line scores of pitchers. He’s clubbed four homers in eight games in this postseason, driving in 11 runs, the sort of production the Astros envisioned when they signed Abreu to a three-year, $58.5 million deal in the offseason. Houston added an experienced, dangerous slugger capable of punishing as Abreu follows Yordan Alvarez in the lineup.
The Astros and Rangers were tied 3-all in Game 4 when Houston hitting coach Alex Cintron pulled Abreu, getting ready to bat in the fourth inning, aside in the dugout. Cintron showed him videotape of Abreu’s plate appearance in the second inning, with a side-by-side comparison from an at-bat in September. Cintron told Abreu that he needed to be sure to keep his weight on his right leg a little longer, rather than to spin out. By the time Abreu strode into the batter’s box, the Astros led 4-3 after Alvarez drove home a run with a deep sacrifice fly. Cody Bradford, the left-hander brought in to face Alvarez, now had to deal with Abreu — with two runners on base. Bradford tried to pump a 91 mph fastball past him.
Without success. Out in the visitors bullpen, the Astros’ Hunter Brown initially thought he might be able to catch Abreu’s drive, only to watch it soar into the seats way over his head, 438 feet from home plate. Abreu trotted around the bases, and teammates spilled onto the apron of the Houston dugout, celebrating, pointing at him. Javier Bracamonte, an Astros’ coach in the bullpen, ran around happily among the relievers. Afterward, Abreu would look at Cintron’s tablet again, to see the at-bat once more.
“It was a great swing,” Abreu would later say in Spanish. “I think the team, in that moment, needed something to open up the scoring a little bit more. Just grateful for what life has given me. … It was a really pretty swing. When I watched it back on the iPad, it reminded me of who I am.”
Teammate Mauricio Dubon said, “He’s an ox. He’s a strong man. There’s nothing to be surprised about.”
One inning later, Abreu came up big again. The Rangers started to counterattack, with two runners on base and nobody out in the fifth inning. Corey Seager smashed a line drive — right at Abreu, who speared the ball and tried to tag out Marcus Semien as the runner slid back into first base. Semien was called safe, but the Astros asked for a replay review, which would show what Abreu said he felt — that he had brushed the batting glove hanging out of Semien’s back pocket. The call was overturned.
In the dugout, Astros manager Dusty Baker joked with Abreu, who was born in Cuba, that he knew there was no football in Abreu’s homeland, “but you’ve got to tackle him and make sure he doesn’t get to the bag.”
Abreu would walk in the seventh, steal second base — his first steal in 925 days — and score again. The Astros evened the series at 2-all, and now Jose Abreu and his teammates are two wins away from reaching the World Series, two victories away from having a shot at becoming the first team in 23 years to win back-to-back titles. Back in spring training, a friend had asked Abreu if it was difficult after leaving the White Sox, an organization he had played for, won his MVP for, over nine seasons. “What are you talking about?” he retorted. “I’m with the champs.”
Abreu began working out in the Astros’ camp well before it officially opened in mid-February, wanting to indoctrinate himself as quickly as possible, and out of excitement for the opportunity to augment a roster that had just won the 2023 World Series. He said he felt right away as if he was welcomed like family.
Abreu would need the full support of teammates, because he had a horrific start: before he hit his first homer in his 51st game with the team, he was hitting .214 — lots of singles, very little power. And the more he struggled, the more work that he put in to try to revitalize his offense. Cintron began to view Abreu’s relentless diligence as a problem. As Abreu relentlessly took batting practice, his coaches believed, he was sapping his energy day after day — and likely prolonging his slump.
On that May day when Abreu walked with Jackson, he assured Jackson that he was working hard, that he was trying to get better. He apologized for how he had performed. He felt bad about how he was doing, Jackson recalled. And he said how much he appreciated all the support he was feeling, from ownership and the front office and Baker and his teammates.
But it took several more months — and a more drastic intervention — before Abreu’s season turned around. He had a sore back, and staffers talked to him about going on the injured list. Abreu pushed back on that idea. He felt like he needed to stay on the field, something he’d always done with the White Sox; in six of his eight full seasons in Chicago, he played in at least 152 games.
He finally relented and was placed on the injured list Aug. 10, getting a chance to let his body and his mind heal. “After that,” Cintron said, “he was a different guy.”
Abreu had 34 hits in his last 31 regular-season games, with eight homers among 16 extra-base hits, and staffers sensed him relaxing. On Thursday night, Abreu told the horseshoe of reporters who surrounded him, “I’m somebody who likes to read. I’m somebody who likes to think positively, listen to stuff about motivation, things like that. I have to acknowledge my family. My wife has always been there for me. My kids are a major motivation to stay positive every day, because they demand more of me each day.”
“This team has helped me in any way possible to be in the best position possible to compete, and I’m grateful to all of them — all of the guys here, the coaches. They’ve always been there for me. All I should really say, truly, is ‘thank you’ to all these guys here who have supported me every step of the way.”
And now, in October, he is rewarding Baker, Jackson and his teammates for their faith in him, for their trust.
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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
Tennessee‘s Nico Iamaleava has been cleared medically to play Saturday against Georgia and is set to return as the Vols’ starting quarterback, sources told ESPN.
Iamaleava, a redshirt freshman, missed the second half of the 33-14 win over Mississippi State last week after suffering a blow to the head. He was listed as questionable earlier this week on the SEC availability report but has been removed in the latest report.
Iamaleava practiced this week, including team periods, and there was optimism among the staff that he was trending in the right direction and would be able to play. But the final call was made by medical personnel. Iamaleava was examined by doctors for what sources told ESPN were concussion-like symptoms after leaving the Mississippi State game. He did not return to the sideline for the second half.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said on Monday that he felt like Iamaleava would be in “great shape for Saturday” and noted that Iamaleava was with the team earlier Monday morning for meetings and team activities. The Vols’ first full-scale practice was Tuesday.
Iamaleava was having his most productive outing against an SEC team this season before leaving the game against Mississippi State. He completed 8 of 13 passes for 174 yards, no interceptions and a pair of touchdowns as Tennessee built a 20-7 halftime lead. In Iamaleava’s previous five SEC games, he had accounted for three touchdowns and turned it over five times. He was also sacked 15 times in those five games.
Redshirt senior Gaston Moore filled in for Iamaleava in the second half last week and finished 5-of-8 for 38 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Getting Iamaleava back for the Georgia game is big news for Tennessee, which is right in the middle of the SEC championship race and College Football Playoff picture.
Receiver Dont’e Thornton (hand) has also been given the green light to play for Tennessee after earlier being listed as questionable.
Week 12 is here as we take a look at an SEC matchup that has College Football Playoff implications, learn about three of the nation’s top passers who all played under the same coach and see what’s going on in the Big 12.
No. 7 Tennessee will visit Sanford Stadium as it takes on conference opponent No. 12 Georgia on Saturday night. With so much at stake, what can each team improve on ahead of this SEC showdown?
The Big 12 has six teams in the hunt for a spot in the conference title game. With the final CFP rankings coming out in less than a month, what scenario looks most realistic for the conference in terms of how many of its teams could make the 12-team field?
Our college football experts preview big games and storylines ahead of the Week 12 slate.
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Tennessee-Georgia | The coach behind three top QB passers
What’s going on in the Big 12 | Quotes of the Week
What has each team done well in conference play? What improvements can be made?
It has been a historic (and dominant) season for Tennessee’s defense, which has yet to give up more than 19 points in any of its nine games. Against SEC competition, the Volunteers lead the conference in scoring defense, giving up 16.7 points per game, and also lead the way in third-down defense and red zone defense. In other words, they’ve given up very little of anything on defense and are buoyed by a line that’s both talented and deep. Tennessee plays a ton of players up front and has been especially good at forcing key turnovers. In 23 trips inside its own 20-yard line, the Vols have forced six turnovers.
The reality is that Tennessee has played to its defense for much of this season out of necessity. The offense has lacked consistency and struggled to generate explosive plays, particularly in the passing game. It’s not all on redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, either. Iamaleava has thrown only five touchdown passes in six SEC games, and the Vols are tied for 10th with an average of 7.5 yards per completion. Iamaleava, who sustained a head injury in a win over Mississippi State last week, has been the victim of poor pass protection at times, and his receivers have dropped some costly passes. Iamaleava has also been shaky when it comes to overthrowing receivers and occasionally holding onto the ball too long.
The bright spot on offense for Tennessee has been running back Dylan Sampson, who has a school-record 20 rushing touchdowns. He has been a constant for the Vols on offense and has an SEC-leading 772 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in conference play. As good as he has been, the Vols are probably going to need more from their passing game to win in Athens. — Chris Low
The Bulldogs didn’t do much of anything well in last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss, which was the first time in a long time that Kirby Smart’s team was manhandled on the lines of scrimmage.
The good news for Georgia: It’s heading home to Sanford Stadium for the first time in more than a month. Georgia hasn’t dropped back-to-back games in the regular season since 2016, Smart’s first season, and it has bounced back after each of its past eight losses. The Bulldogs have won seven of their past eight games against the Volunteers.
For all of quarterback Carson Beck‘s turnovers, Georgia’s problems on offense probably start up front. The offensive line hasn’t done a good job of protecting him, and the Bulldogs’ lack of a potent running game has prevented them from effectively utilizing play-action passes. Their banged-up offensive line is going to face another formidable defensive front Saturday. Georgia has 27 dropped passes, fourth most in the FBS, according to TruMedia, so its receivers need to become more reliable as well. — Mark Schlabach
The coach behind three of college football’s top passers
Miami‘s Cam Ward, Washington State‘s John Mateer and North Texas‘ Chandler Morris are three of the top five quarterbacks in total offense this season in FBS. All three have the same head coach to thank for where they are today.
North Texas coach Eric Morris coached Ward at Incarnate Word and Washington State, recruited Mateer to the Cougars and signed Morris out of the transfer portal this offseason. All three hailed from Texas and are putting up big numbers this season. Morris, a Mike Leach disciple, knows what he’s looking for when it comes to QBs.
For each one, the journey was different. Ward was a zero-star recruit out of West Columbia, Texas, played in a wing-T offense and had no scholarship offers. But he showed up to Incarnate Word’s camp in 2019 and impressed with his quick release and accuracy. Morris saw appealing traits, too, in Ward’s multisport talents.
“He was such a good basketball player,” Morris said. “He was a bigger guy who could really handle the ball and move with ease. He had a twitch and quickness about him that was almost Mahomes-esque, where he’s not fast but you see him get out of the pocket and scramble and he’s nifty on his feet. He saw the floor great and shot the basketball great.
“It might be easier at an FCS school to take that risk, but it was something we were really confident in.”
Ward came in with extreme confidence, telling coaches he’d win the starting job over their returning all-conference player (and he did). He followed Morris to Pullman, Washington, out of loyalty to the coach who believed in him. Now he’s playing on a big stage, chasing a College Football Playoff bid and a Heisman Trophy with the No. 9 Hurricanes.
“It’s been fun to watch him flourish and get rewarded for being patient all these years,” Morris said.
When Morris left UIW to become Washington State’s offensive coordinator in 2022, he brought Ward but needed another QB. On his first recruiting trip in Texas, he stopped by to check out Mateer. The two-star recruit had a prolific senior season at Little Elm High School but was committed to Central Arkansas. Morris didn’t understand what FBS programs were missing and convinced Mateer to flip.
After two seasons behind Ward, Mateer has emerged as one of the top dual-threat QBs in college football with 2,332 passing yards, 805 rushing yards (excluding sacks) and 33 total TDs.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” Ward said. “He’s just so dang hard to tackle in the open field. Just a kid that loves ball and was under-recruited. The tide’s turned and he ends up being a big-time ballplayer.”
Chandler Morris was not an under-the-radar talent, but he’s having his best season yet at North Texas. He began his career at Oklahoma, won the starting job at TCU in 2022, sustained a knee injury in its season opener and then watched Max Duggan lead the Horned Frogs to the national title game.
Morris had a six-game stint as TCU’s starter last season before injuring the same knee. At UNT, he’s leading the nation’s No. 3 passing offense with 3,244 total yards and 30 TDs. Like Ward and Mateer, he processes information quickly, makes plays with his feet and throws outside the pocket with accuracy. If you ask Eric Morris, those traits are a must in today’s game. When paired with his version of Air Raid ball, you get big-time results.
“It’s been fun to see him get his swagger back,” Morris said.
Eric Morris points to Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels. The QBs thriving at the highest level are becoming unstoppable by creating plays out of the pocket. And so are his guys.
“Everybody obviously watches Cam and the magic he makes,” Morris said, “but I think all three of ’em can make plays when it’s not a perfect play call. There are a bunch of really good pure passers nowadays, but that’s what sets them all apart.” — Max Olson
What’s going on in the Big 12?
Two-thirds of the way through the Big 12 schedule, six teams are still in the hunt for a title-game appearance: BYU (6-0), Colorado (5-1), Arizona State, Iowa State, Kansas State and West Virginia, all of which are 4-2. There are too many variables to discuss all the scenarios, but the conference has a straightforward tiebreaker policy.
It’s possible to come up with scenarios in which the Big 12 could get two bids, one bid or shut out altogether.
For the Big 12 to get two bids, BYU probably would have to finish 12-0, then lose a close game in the championship to a two-loss team (Colorado, Iowa State or Kansas State). A 12-1 BYU team would get consideration, but it would become a question of how far it would fall and what else happens around the country.
The most likely scenario is the Big 12 will get one team in: whichever one wins the conference title game. If BYU wins out, it will have a bye, but if it slips up even once — or if another team wins the title — Boise State might be in position to get a first-round bye, assuming the Broncos win out.
The doomsday scenario in the Big 12 is if the conference champion has two or three losses and Army and Boise State win out. If that’s the case, there is a good possibility both of those schools would be ranked ahead of the Big 12 champion and the Big 12 would be left out. — Kyle Bonagura
Quotes of the Week
“They’re stubborn, man. They’re physical. He is an elite runner. The runs they run are sometimes nontraditional. They run some runs that other people don’t run because of the space in the box. He’s very patient. He hits small creases. He’s hard to tackle. How many touchdowns has he got in the SEC? Twenty-something? That’s crazy. In the SEC? The SEC is the hardest league in the world to run the ball in on because they’ve got the most size defensive lineman, and he continues to do it at a crazy pace to me.” — Kirby Smart on Volunteers tailback Dylan Sampson.
“I never try to take a step back. I try to take a step up. I’m always putting my head out the window. I’m trying to see around the corner, not trying to see straight ahead. It’s normalcy for everybody to see what’s in front of them. I’m trying to see around the corner. That’s the relationship I have with the Lord, to help me see around the corner so I can help navigate these young men as well as the women that’s attached to our program to a better way and a better life. So I don’t get caught up in the ‘You go, boys!’ or the ‘You ain’t nothing.’ You know, if I would’ve listened to you guys earlier, I’ve gotta listen to you now. So I might as well just put some headphones on and block you out. Notice I don’t have a sponsor for headphones, but that would’ve been a good placement for a sponsor.” — Deion Sanders when asked if he takes time to step back and appreciate the magnitude of Colorado’s turnaround.
“I hope anyone who has ambitions about playing in the National Football League, let’s see what you’ve got against Clemson. Let’s see you play your best game here. If you weren’t focused for Virginia, which I can’t imagine you weren’t — and I’m not saying anybody was not focused — but if they didn’t get your focus, I imagine Clemson will get your focus when you put the tape on.” — Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi on whether playing Clemson gets the attention of his players.
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