Chicago White Sox: 3 favorites for All-Star game voting

Jose Abreu would be the perfect first baseman for the American League All-Stars.

Jose Abreu has been the heart and soul of this White Sox team. This season he has personified the word value. In April, he preserved Carlos Rodón’s no-hitter with a spectacular defensive play at first base.

When Abreu first arrived in the MLB, he was a below-average defender. He has worked on his craft each offseason and emerged as a legitimate Gold-Glove candidate. This season he has made several difficult catches, gotten runners out at home plate with his arm, and snagged numerous line drives with diving efforts.

In May, he got in a violent collision trying to catch a pop fly. He needed to be helped off the field. The next day he was back on the field sporting a bandage on his face and he hit a home run. He closed out that series by putting his body on the line in a mad dash home after Wade Davis threw a wild pitch. Abreu slid around a tag on the same ankle he bruised two days before to win the game for the White Sox.

At the plate, Abreu has been his usual productive self. He is hitting .258 with a team-leading 11 home runs and 46 RBIs. He is also sporting an impressive .828 OPS. He showed off his clutch gene with an epic at-bat in extra innings against the Cleveland Indians that resulted in a go-ahead sac fly. Abreu won player of the week on May 30th. Abreu has already made three AL All-Star teams. A fourth could be on the horizon.