White Sox: Five Potential 2019 Team Most Valuable Player
There are about five most likely players in the White Sox organization that could prove to be the team’s 2019 most valuable player.
Given the team is smack-dab in the middle of a rebuild it is easy to overlook the White Sox as contenders.
With that being said, every team has a most valuable player. Not league MVP, but each team has a player that puts his teammates on his back and carries them as far as he can. It may not be very far, but there is a player who stands out over his other 24 teammates.
Most Likely: José Abreu
Out of the five, most likely the White Sox’s 2019 MVP will be first baseman José Abreu. The 32-year-old nicknamed ‘The Cuban Missile’ has proved time and time again to be the team’s best offensive contributor.
With a career offensive WAR of 20.5, Abreu can easily hit 20 plus home runs and drive in 90 plus runs on a consistent basis.
Abreu’s 2018 may not have gone the way he would have hoped as he only played 128 games. He missed games in August and September due to testicular torsion and was actually hospitalized Sept. 18 because of an ingrown hair infection on his right thigh. Despite this, he earned his second trip to the All-Star game ( first was his rookie season in 2014) and earned his second Silver Slugger award (first was also his rookie season).
Abreu, despite being thrown around in potential trade rumors, can easily be the team’s most impactful provider and seems eager to come back. He will be looking to bring the momentum from his hot spring into the season. In 38 at-bats, he’s recorded a slash of .316/.310/.553 with two home runs and 11 RBIs.
Next likely: Reynaldo López
When he was dealt from the Washington Nationals in 2016, many focused more on Lucas Giolito and sort of overlooked Reynaldo López.
López had experience in the majors pitching 44 innings with the Nationals in 2016, but when he was traded, he started his time with the White Sox at Triple-A Charlotte. There he posted a 3.79 ERA in 121 innings pitched.
López made his White Sox debut in July of 2017 year and pitched 47 innings. His 2018 was a memorable one as he was arguably the team’s best pitcher. In 188 innings, he posted a 3.96 ERA while striking out 151. He started 32 games.
Hot off his solid 2018, his 2019 seems likely to be his breakout year and he could potentially be the team’s best player.
Next likely: Carlos Rodón
When drafted, many were not familiar with the name Carlos Rodón. But as he first touched a baseball apart of the organization, everyone knew his name.
He started his first year with the organization in the Arizona Rookie league. He spent two games there as he was promoted to Single-A Winston-Salem. He pitched only 9.2 innings with an ERA of 1.86 then was promoted and passed Double-A to go to Triple-A. With the Charlotte Knights, Rodón pitched 12 innings with an ERA of 3.00 and 18 strikeouts.
His best year came in 2016 when he pitched the most amount of innings in his four-season-career, 165. He posted a 4.04 ERA while striking out 168 and walking only 54.
Rodón was not able to follow his fantastic sophomore year up as he was only started 12 games in 2017. He missed the first three months of the season recovering from bursitis. He ran into tough luck as he did not start his 2018 season on time as well.
Despite all of this, Rodón is as sharp as he can be. His slider, after learning from Chris Sale in his rookie year, is deadly. He took notes from Jose Quintana’s put-away pitch: the high fastball. His changeup is his own trademark. A little help from arguably the league’s best pitching coach does not hurt. Once he fully learns how to put all of his pieces together, he can be the ace the team needs him to be.
Next likely : Tim Anderson
Tim Anderson essentially represented the beginning of the rebuild. When he was called up in 2016, he was expected to set the league on fire. His speed and enthusiasm was both something the team desperately needed.
Unfortunately, Anderson has yet to perform to the original hype. He had a splendid rookie season recording a slash of .283/.306/.432, but his lack of plate patience is what pushed him down to seventh in American League rookie of the year voting. In 431 plate appearances, he only walked 13 times. His lack of ability to get on base is concerning.
It has gotten better as he was able to draw 30 walks in 606 plate appearances last season, but his .281 OBP is still alarming.
A silver lining to take from Anderson’s 2018 was the fact that he blasted 20 home runs and stole 20 bases, something no White Sox shortstop has ever done. Adding sneaky power to his already impressive arsenal is quite the tool. He just needs to take more pitches.
Shifting into a leadership role, Anderson needs to adjust in terms of hitting, taking pitches and getting on base. Too many White Sox players struggle with striking out and not drawing enough walks. If Anderson is able to fix this aspect of his game, he could be able to rub off on his teammates and slide more easily into that leadership role, no pun intended.
Timmy is back and ready to get his revenge…again.
Next likely: Eloy Jiménez
It may seem like a mystery as to why Eloy Jiménez is not on the White Sox 25-man roster yet, but at the same time, it is not.
The organization is concerned with his service time and perhaps, as Astros pitcher Collin McHugh tweets, his bunting skills are subpar. Whatever the reason, it is inevitable he will make his major league debut this season. With a .355/.399/.597 slash in 2018 at Triple-A Charlotte, it is clear he is ready for big league competition.
He did struggle this spring with just four hits inat-batsbats, a .154 average, but he smacked two doubles and a home run driving in three.
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The hype surrounding Jiménez is real and many fans are excited to see if he can live up to it. His promotion can be viewed as the symbolic beginning of the end of the rebuild for the White Sox so a lot rests on his young shoulders. He might very well take that pressure and use it towards becoming the team’s MVP and potentially winning rookie of the year.