By SAMUEL BOTWINICK | Staff Writer
March 26, 2014, 10:15 p.m.
@avdbkr20samuel

The gamble to invite Bobby Abreu to Spring Training has apparently not paid off.

The Phillies announced on Wednesday that the 40-year-old won't make the Opening Day roster.

Abreu had a decent offensive Spring Training, considering his age, hitting .244, with 10 hits and 10 walks in 17 games.  His defense, on the other hand, was a different story.

The outfielder was criticized this Spring as being a liability with regard to tracking down balls, adequately getting to balls, and taking the correct routes to balls; all of the expected intangibles that come with being a serviceable player in the Majors.

The whole idea of trying out Abreu in a Phillies' uniform was to see if he could return to his old form when he had left the Phillies and the MLB to play professional baseball in Venezuela.  This obviously didn't pan out for him or the Phillies.

While Abreu is nearing his realistic end in the MLB, there might be another team out there, who is desperate enough for an outfielder coming off the bench that might give him a shot.  It just won't be with the Phillies.

- The Philadelphia Baseball Review is the top baseball news blog in Philadelphia, providing news coverage and analysis of the 2014 Phillies and baseball in the Philadelphia-region.

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