Chicago White Sox: Who would make an all-Chicago team?
First Base
Jose Abreu vs Anthony Rizzo
First-base is another compelling position to argue between the two sides of town. Each team has a superstar at the position so you are splitting hairs when you try to argue which of the two are better. The two players are Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox and Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs. They have each been the main piece that was there through a rebuild.
Abreu had a phenomenal 2019 season. He won the RBI title for the American League with his 123 RBIs. He added in 33 home runs and 85 runs scored as well. He was certainly a great player for a White Sox team taking a big step. Rizzo had a phenomenal year as well. He hit 27 home runs and had 94 RBIs with 89 runs scored. It also came as a part of a Cubs team that struggled to produce runs consistently.
The thing that separates these two is the defensive side of first-base. Rizzo has been a gold glover at the position in three of the last four seasons. Abreu, on the other hand, isn’t as good defensively at all. He isn’t awful but he definitely has room to improve but at his age, you wonder how much better he is ever going to get. It shows in their WAR as well. Abreu had a 2.0 WAR in 2019 and Rizzo had 3.8 WAR. Both of them are great power hitters and great team leaders that stand out amongst their peers.