“Fantastic,” said Sox hitting coach Pete Fatsey, who said Abreu was combining the qualities that would mark him as “elite.”
The Sox recognize the trap early in the season and rush to make a decision. But he also thinks the early days of the season add to the growing evidence he’s seen throughout the spring — in the Grapefruit League and when Abreu starred for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic — of an improved approach that has allowed Abreu to rise among the better hitters in the game.
“The good thing is that we’ve seen a lot of small doses (of the approach benefit) throughout camp,” Fatse said. “We still have a ways to go before it gets completely sticky, but the reality is it’s something he’s prioritizing.”
So who is Abreu prioritizing? The 26-year-old identified some of the elements.
First, he wanted to become more compact in his swing – thus allowing him to better handle fastballs at the top of the zone, which had been a weakness in previous years. Over the course of three games, his swing averaged 6.7 feet – nearly seven inches less than his average swing length before this season – and became flatter across the field, leading to fewer holes.
“I’m just trying to go shorter with my swing, keep my hands closer to my body,” Abreu said. “That’s one of the things I did this offseason.”
He has also worked on focusing on the middle of the field rather than dragging the ball as the default setting in his approach. Abreu has a knack for running the ball through the air even when he allows it deep into the field, which is an unusual gift.
He has also worked on focusing on the middle of the field rather than dragging the ball as the default setting in his approach. Abreu has an unusual gift for running the ball into the air, even if he allows it deep into the field.
“He is extremely powerful,” Fatse said. “That’s the thing – understanding how powerful you are. You can be small and explosive. You don’t need a lot of length to generate bat speed.”
Abreu is quickly realizing that he is capable of moving the ball to all areas. Entering 2026, 37 of his 39 career homers, including all 22 in 2025, were to the right side of center field. But the Sox felt he had a natural ability to drive the ball to center and left field, and Abreu worked to develop that skill in the offseason.
He took those efforts forward in spring training, then turbocharged them during the WBC while working with Team Venezuela hitting coach Miguel Cabrera and assistant manager Victor Martínez.
“I was able to hear that conversation and Víctor’s motivational speech,” said Astros bench coach Omar López, manager of Team Venezuela. “(Martinez) told him, ‘Willier, you have power to the (pull) side, but if you let the ball travel more you can also generate power in Fenway Park on the left side. And then when you get to other areas, there are some big gaps in that area. If you’re able to do that, you’re going to utilize the entire field. Now how are they going to play defense on you?'”
Abreu worked with Martínez and Cabrera on how to use his lower body strength to maintain his direction up the middle, rather than flying open in search of pull-side power. The result of this was evident in Homer’s center field against Team USA in the championship game. Abreu, who was excited about the opportunity to work alongside a pair of Venezuelan giants, believes he is ready to maintain an effective all-field approach that could boost his numbers.
“I’ve been trying to use the whole field (in past years). I didn’t do it the right way. I think this year, I’m in a better position to use the whole field. It’s something new for me this year, but I know I have the ability to do that,” Abreu said. “I think if I maintain this path of my swing, try to use other paths as well, and not just pull everything out, I think I’ll be in a good place to improve my numbers and improve all of my stats.”
If Abreu does that, he has a chance to emerge as a special talent — part of the team’s thinking when they kept him largely off limits in trade talks this winter. Four years after the Sox acquired Abreu in a deadline deal from the Astros for Christian Vazquez, he is thriving.
Again, Abreu’s early glimpses offer plenty of potential for a lineup looking to anchor — and he’s caught the attention of the rest of the baseball world.
“It’s fun to watch him. He’s a great hitter. What he did in the WBC was electric. It was amazing to watch,” said Vazquez, who is now back with the Astros. “It’s great (to be a part of) a trade like this with a player of that level. I’m very happy for him.”
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. chase him @alexspear.
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