he’s back … maybe

Bobby Abreu, who starred for the Jackson Generals 20 long years ago, can still swing it. Check out the numbers he has rung up in the Venezuelan Winter League: .322 average, three homers, 28 RBIs. The Philadelphia Phillies, for whom Abreu played nine seasons (1998-2006), apparently liked what they saw in the 39-year-old outfielder who didn’t play in the big leagues in 2013. They’ve signed him to a minor league contract with a spring training invite. It would be a neat little cap on a generally brilliant career if Abreu can make this comeback work. He’ll be 40 in March, and he hit just .242 in 100 MLB games in 2012. But don’t count him out. He has a .292 career average with 2,437 hits and 287 homers, and his winter ball work would seem to indicate he’s still got something left. He could be a threat as a lefty pinch hitter.