4. Jose Abreu 1B
Jose Abreu is one of the best players in the history of the Chicago White Sox.
The cleanup spot is all about driving in runs. Nobody does that better on the White Sox than Jose Abreu. One could argue nobody in the MLB does it better than Abreu.
Abreu has been a staple of the middle of the White Sox lineup since 2014. All he has done is produce runs. Since 2014 Abreu, has driven in 788 runs. During that span, that is the second-most in the MLB behind only Nolan Arendano.
Abreu drove in 117 runs in 2021. That marks the sixth time he has posted over 100 RBIs in a single season. One of the only seasons he didn’t was in 2020 due to the shortened 60 game regular season. However that year, Abreu led the MLB with 60 RBIs en route to winning American League MVP.
He also led the AL in hits, slugging percentage, total bases, extra-base hits, multi-hit games, and WAR. Meanwhile, his 19 home runs and .317 average were good enough for second and fourth respectably.
Abreu has been the best hitter on the White Sox for a long time. He is as consistent as they come and a constant professional. There is a reason his number will eventually be hanging over Guaranteed Rate Field. It is the same reason he will be batting cleanup for this championship-caliber squad.