Albert Abreu

Albert Abreu is a Houston Astros reliever who has shown significant improvement in May 2026 after a difficult start to the season in April. The key to his turnaround has been a simple but effective pitch usage adjustment - he increased his slider usage to nearly 60% while reducing his four-seam fastball usage to just under 40%. In April, his fastball was being hit hard with a .278 average and .611 slugging percentage allowed. His slider, while also getting hit, generates more swing-and-miss. The adjustment appears to be working as Abreu has been steadily improving since late April. However, there is a concern that his four-seam fastball velocity has declined from 97.3 mph last season to 95 mph in 2026, which could be problematic if the velocity trend continues.