White Sox: Five Players to be thankful for this Thanksgiving
The Chicago White Sox have built up a really nice team through their rebuild and there are five players, in particular, to be thankful for.
The Chicago White Sox are coming up on a long term period of sustained success. They did it by rebuilding the team from the ground up. They traded away Chris Sale in the middle of his prime for some prospects and the rebuild was off. They knew that some very tough years were ahead for them and they were right as they were pretty bad for three years.
Over the last three seasons, they were a really bad team that was routinely at the bottom of the American League standings. They used some high draft picks on some really good players and will undoubtedly use them in the near future to be a big part of the success. For right now, they are just focused on having a good offseason and turning the corner in 2020. If they play their cards right and get what they need, there is a good chance that will happen.
The White Sox have been far behind the Chicago Cubs in terms of relevance in the city but times are changing. The Cubs won the World Series in 2016 and everyone you bump into seems to be a Cubs fan but that is all about to change. The White Sox have put together a great young core and they are ready to win.
Today is Thanksgiving, and there are plenty of reasons to be thankful. The White Sox have some great players who are going to do great things in this league. There are five players in particular that White Sox fans should be thankful for this Thanksgiving:
128. . 1B. Chicago White Sox. Jose Abreu. 1. player
Jose Abreu has been the face of the White Sox since he arrived on the scene in 2014. The White Sox are the only team that he has ever known and fans should be so thankful for that. He has come in and been a great loyal leader on this team. He was there through an entire rebuild that saw a lot of losing and he showed up with a smile on his face.
He could have easily requested a trade and not wanted to waste a lot of his prime on a bad baseball team but he stuck it out and was there for all the young guys. Now, he is getting ready to reap the benefits as the team is about to turn the corner. Abreu signed a three-year contract extension and figures to be a big part of their upcoming run.
Jose Abreu has a career slash line of .293/.349/.513. He has 179 home runs and 611 RBIs in 1038 hits. He has no doubt been a game-changing player for the White Sox while he was a member of the team. He has a career WAR of 21.2 so there is no doubt that he definitely helps the White Sox out. He finally has some talent around him so you can expect him to build on his American League RBI title that he earned in 2019. Abreu has been a great member of the White Sox so fans should be so thankful.
128. . 3B. Chicago White Sox. Yoan Moncada. 2. player
Yoan Moncada is probably the best overall player on the Chicago White Sox. He was acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox that sent Chris Sale over to Boston. It was a trade that appears to have benefitted both teams. The Red Sox won the World Series in 2018 and the White Sox got a potential MVP candidate out of it. White Sox fans should definitely be thankful that he is a member of this organization.
Moncada received some MVP votes in 2019 and they were well deserved. He had the third-best batting average in the American League. He is only gonna get better from there in 2020 as one of the leaders of this team. Moncada has a ceiling as high as almost any player in the league. He is capable of putting the team on his back whenever they are in need of a big performance.
The main reason Moncada should mean so much to fans is the fact that he represents the rebuild. He was the main piece in the Sale trade and was one of the first young players to be called up to the big club. He was the symbol of hope for a long time. Now that he has almost reached his full potential this team is ready to turn the corner.
. SS. Chicago White Sox. Tim Anderson. 3. player. 128
The Chicago White Sox learned that they have a legit clubhouse leader in 2019 with the emergence of Tim Anderson. He has evolved into a great player on the field and off. He was so good at the plate in 2019 that he won the Major League Baseball batting title. He had the highest batting average amongst qualifying players. It was so awesome to see someone on the Chicago White Sox win an award so prestigious and can only hope that he builds on it in 2020.
Tim Anderson also brought swag to the White Sox that they haven’t had in a long time. He believes in what they are doing and is very public about that belief. He wants to win and he showed it with what he can do on the field. He has battled to get to the prestigious level that he is at right now but he is there and everyone should be thankful.
White Sox fans can sleep at night knowing that he is going to be one of the leaders of this team for a long time. If the White Sox are going to take this rebuild to glory then you know that Tim Anderson is going to be right in the middle of it. He provides fireworks both on and off the field and he does it for our team.
player. 128. . SP. Chicago White Sox. Lucas Giolito. 4
The Chicago White Sox needed an ace in 2019. It wasn’t looking like they were going to have one but Lucas Giolito really stepped up. He had one of the best comeback seasons of anyone in the league. He was one of the worst pitchers in all of baseball in 2018 and he turned it around into a magical 2019 season that saw him get Cy Young votes. White Sox fans should be so thankful that he is a member of this organization and will be for a long time.
It is very clear that Giolito knows how to take a negative past and let it die. He knows how to move forward and is easily coached. That is the kind of guy you want leading a pitching staff and he is that guy. There is a good chance that he is their opening day starter in 2020. That would be a great symbol of how the rebuild has gone and where it can lead.
Like Moncada, Giolito is a symbol of the rebuild. He was the main piece acquired in the Adam Eaton trade with the Washington Nationals and one of the first ones to be called up to the Major Leagues. He is so good and the hope is that he can build on what he did in 2019. If he can be just as good or even better then the White Sox have a real star on their hands.
Eloy Jimenez. 5. player. 128. . LF. Chicago White Sox
There is not a more fun player on the White Sox than Eloy Jimenez. The first good thing about him is how the White Sox got him. A lopsided trade that sent him and Dylan Cease to the South Side of Chicago sent Jose Quintana to the Chicago Cubs. Quintana has been okay for them but Jimenez is blooming into a superstar. Moncada and Giolito symbolize the beginning of the rebuild but Jimenez symbolizes the fact that Rick Hahn knows what he is doing and knows how to further the talent pool. The Cubs were willing to part with Jimenez for some reason as they believed they needed a starter that bad and the White Sox pounced.
Jimenez is the most entertaining player on this team. 2019 was his rookie year and he is already a fan favorite. He hits massive home runs and produces on the field but he is just a fun personality off the field as well. His pre and post-game interviews are always entertaining and show how much fun he is having. He is an easy guy to root for so it really helps that he is one of the best players on the team. He finished in fourth place in the rookie of the year race in 2019.
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Jimenez is going to be an elite power hitter on the White Sox for many years to come and White Sox fans should be thankful he is doing it on the South Side instead of the North Side. Moncada might be the best all-around hitter on the team but it should surprise nobody if Jimenez blossoms into one of the premier home run hitters in all of baseball. There are a lot of great players on this team to be thankful for this Thanksgiving as some great times are ahead.