Chicago White Sox: Five studs who can win AL MVP
The Chicago White Sox are a loaded team with a lot of talent. We have heard a lot about their offense because of how good they were in 2020 and they should be even better in 2021. Well, their pitching needs to be just as formidable this year in order for them to be a World Series contender. With that said, there are some bats on this team that could go on to be American League MVPs. This is the most loaded lineup the White Sox have ever put out as a result. These are the five hitters who could actually win the MVP:
1B. Chicago White Sox. Jose Abreu. 79. player. 128.
We should probably start with the player on the Chicago White Sox that actually has an MVP in his back pocket. Jose Abreu was the best player in the entire American League during the 2020 season and he was rewarded for it. He took home his first career MVP thanks to his stats at the plate on a playoff team. The White Sox and Abreu stayed loyal to each other and it paid off tremendously. He is going to be a part of this big team for a while now.
Don’t expect Abreu to fall off too much in 2021. He doesn’t have to win the MVP but he will certainly be in the discussion. He has always been this good of a hitter but now there is talent around him. He gets better pitches than he ever has in his MLB career and that is because he is well protected in the lineup now.
Abreu is going to be the leader on this team in a lot of ways. He should be one of the two primary leaders in the clubhouse and he should be amongst the league leaders in a lot of statistics again. He will crack 30 home runs and over 100 RBIs if he stays healthy. Being on a playoff team sure looks good on him and the league knows it.
. SS. Chicago White Sox. Tim Anderson. 7. player. 128
Jose Abreu was the American League MVP last season so obviously, he was the team MVP. If you had to pick someone who was the runner-up for that team MVP accolade, it would be Tim Anderson. He came in seventh place for the AL award himself so you know he had an outstanding season too. You can expect more of the same from him in 2021.
When it was said that Abreu was one of the two leaders in the clubhouse, Tim Anderson is the other one. He is so vocal in every way which is so good for the team. He may or may not be the team’s best player in any given year but he is the face of the franchise. He won the batting title in 2019 and came in second for it in 2020. He should be right there in the mix again for 2021. As long as his defense is solid like it was last year (and unlike the year before), he will be in the MVP mix again soon.
Tim Anderson is going to be one of the best players on a playoff-bound team. That bodes well for him in this case. A lot of people look up to him and care what he has to say which says a lot about both his leadership qualities and play on the field. Honestly, expect Anderson to be even more explosive than you are used to this season.
LF. Chicago White Sox. Eloy Jimenez. 74. player. 128.
There isn’t a player in the Chicago White Sox organization that is more fun to watch than Eloy Jimenez. This man just enjoys being alive and playing baseball as much as any player in the history of the game. He also believes in himself which is an endearing quality. He told the media last week that he believes he can be the MVP one day after talking about how happy he was that Abreu won it. We believe you, Eloy.
Jimenez came into the White Sox organization from a trade. The Chicago Cubs sent him and Dylan Cease over to the South Side in exchange for Jose Quintana. It is one of the most lopsided trades that the teams have ever made but the White Sox were on the good side of it. Jimenez wows people with monster home runs but he is also just a great pure hitter.
Now, if Jimenez wants to actually be an MVP one day, he needs to clean up his play in the outfield just a little bit. His bat is so far above average that he doesn’t need to win a Gold Glove out there but he just needs to be average. There is an elite defender out there in centerfield to make his life so much easier so all he needs to do is just make the routine play and avoid getting hurt. If that happens, his bat will carry him.
. 3B. Chicago White Sox. Yoan Moncada. 10. player. 128
People might not see it right now but Yoan Moncada has the potential to be the best player the White Sox have. He was a top ten hitter in all of baseball in 2019 and a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman in 2020. He had some serious issues with COVID-19 in 2020 which hindered his offensive production so we have to hope he regains that energy. He has the talent to be one of the very best and he has shown it before.
We know Moncada is going to be one of the best defensive third basemen in all of baseball. He has already made some spectacular plays defensively in the exhibition season so far. What we don’t know is how good of a hitter he is going to be. Chances are that he is going to be sweet again and that would make him one of the very best players in all of baseball. He was right there in 2019 before COVID.
In 2020, the White Sox had an insanely good lineup with little to no production from Moncada. Add him playing well to the mix along with other players developing even further and you have something so special brewing. If Moncada is as good as we know he can be, he will be right in the mix for the AL MVP.
player. 128. . CF. Chicago White Sox. Luis Robert. 88
When we say that Yoan Moncada has the potential to be the best overall player in the White Sox organization, it is true. The only thing that is more than likely to stop him from that feat is Luis Robert. This is a player who is good at everything he does on a baseball field. He can play a premier position, centerfield, at an elite level. Sometimes he is even too good at the position because he makes catches that belong to other outfielders.
In addition to his elite arm, speed, and fielding, he is an elite hitter. He can hit for power which is breathtaking but he can also hit for contact. Whatever Luis Robert needs to do he can do on a regular basis. He was phenomenal to watch in 2020 which is scary because of the fact he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his potential. He legit has the potential to be one of the best players in all of baseball on a yearly basis.
light. Related Story. Watch Eloy Jimenez hit the scoreboard
2020 was a tough year to have to make their debut as well. In 2021, it should be more of a normal baseball routine which will be nice for him. That is a problem for the rest of the league. It is hard to guarantee an MVP in a player’s career but that feels inevitable for Robert. In fact, if he won multiple MVPs, nobody should be surprised. This is going to be an exciting season for Robert and everyone else on this list.