White Sox first baseman following in the footsteps of past team players who excelled at the same position. Just how good has he been for the organization?
Over the past two decades, the Chicago White Sox have had some great first baseman play on the South Side. From Frank Thomas to Paul Konerko, the Sox have benefitted from impressive first basemen who ultimately had their numbers retired by the team.
Jose Abreu has only played four major league seasons, but he’s done a good job of carrying on the tradition of quality first basemen for the Sox. Through his four major league seasons, Abreu is only the third major league player to begin his career hitting 25 or more home runs and recording 100 or more RBIs in each season.
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Although the Sox haven’t reached the postseason with Abreu, he’s become a leader in the clubhouse and a positive influence on the younger players. Abreu’s leadership was showcased heavily this past season when he alerted pitcher Reynaldo Lopez to disclose his discomfort on the mound to manager Rick Renteria.
Abreu might not become a Hall of Famer like Thomas or hit more than 400 career home runs like Konerko, but he could become another legend for this Sox franchise. This past season, Abreu’s popularity among Sox fans soared and he quietly became the face of the organization. When he was linked to trade rumors early this offseason, there were many Sox fans who weren’t keen to the idea of the team trading its best offensive player.
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The next step for Abreu to cement his legacy with the Sox is to win a World Series with the team. With the team’s current rebuild, the Sox could be two to three years away from contending. Abreu has gone on record stating he would like to play his entire career with the Sox. For Sox fans, they hope Abreu can not only do that but someday they can see his number retired with the team also.