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From the Arizona Republic...



Arizona Diamondbacks' Tony Abreu makes good early impression
by Nick Piecoro - Mar. 11, 2010 06:25 PM
The Arizona Republic
TUCSON - In the first week of spring-training games, Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Tony Abreu has shown what he can do, both at the plate and in the field.

It's nothing Dodgers third-base coach Larry Bowa hasn't seen before.


"I think he can help a team," Bowa said. "I'm telling you, this kid can do some things. The key for him is just to stay healthy."

Abreu, who the Diamondbacks acquired in last season's Jon Garland deal, said Thursday he felt good, fully healthy after a 2009 season in which he came back from hip surgery and suffered an ankle injury.

It's evident in his recent production. He went 2 for 3 with a double Thursday, a day after going 3 for 4 with a home run and a triple. He is 10 for 20 in the Cactus League and appears to be the leading candidate in the battle for the final bench spot.

Bowa said he was disappointed that Abreu ended up the player to be named in the Garland deal. Bowa and Abreu worked closely in spring training last year.

"He's a kid that never really had an opportunity," Bowa said. "We called him up a couple of times, but it was always because somebody was hurt, and you knew that when that guy came back he knew he was going down. I think if he stays with a team from the start, feels a part of it, I think he's going to help them a lot."

Abreu also has impressed defensively. Primarily a second baseman, he made a couple of good plays at third base Thursday and has looked more than serviceable at shortstop in the past week.

"I think his sense of urgency, his energy, has been great," Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch said. "He's doing everything he can to make an impression."

I think he can be a solid major league player, was too much to give up for 6 starts from a league average pitcher in Garland.

a junk Edsel,, whould have been to much. Just checked and Abreu leads the Dback's in ABS and hits....
train

he's injury prone..the dodgers gave him every chance they could..

He had one injury, which was misdiagnosed by an idiot of a trainer and therefore extended far longer than it should have been. Larry Bowa said just the other day that the Dodgers never really gave him a chance and that it was too bad

Just to set the record straight, it wasn't Conte that diagnosed his injury. Conte is a trainer not a doctor. Conte focuses on rehab and conditioning not on diagnosing physical injuries. Bowa may have been correct in his assessment or maybe not, it's very easy to be a Monday morning quarterback.

Hehe, when bluez said "which was misdiagnosed by an idiot of a trainer" I immediately thought, no he wasn't misdiagnosed by Conte, it was doctor somewhere. This is one of the few disasters that Conte had nothing to do with, but I still knew who bluez was referring to.