Abreu was the sixth of nine children in his family, and his parents immigrated from Portugal in 1906. \n', '

He was born on May 24, 1913 in Oakland, California. Abreu had three brothers who were professional boxers. Abreu graduated from McClymonds High School in 1934, and after graduation, Abreu coached a local American Legion Baseball team. He spent the summer of 1935 working as a handyman at wholesale liquor firm in San Francisco, California. That summer, he played semi-professional baseball with the Central Banks of the Berkeley City League where he attracted attention from many professional scouts.\n', '

In 1936, Abreu began his professional career with the Yakima Pippins where he batted .396, helping them win the Northwest League pennant. The next season, Abreu split time between the Class-B Spokane Hawks, and the Class-AA Oakland Oaks. With the Hawks, he hit .324 with 23 doubles, 12 triples, and 4 home runs in 91 games. He led the team in triples, was second in batting average, and was third in doubles. \n', '

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