White Sox 3 all-time best first baseman in franchise history
The Chicago White Sox have a lot of great players in franchise history. Their success as a team (or lack thereof) doesn't really reflect the amount amazing players that have put on that uniform.
Right now, the White Sox are hoping that all of the talented players on their roster come together and win something big. One player that they are high on right now is Andrew Vaughn.
Of course, Andrew Vaughn is trying to become the next great first baseman in franchise history. That is the most successful position in team history.
When you look at the list of players that played the position for the team, you see some superstar talent. These are the three best in franchise history:
3. Jose Abreu
Jose Abreu is one of the best single players in Chicago White Sox history.
The third-best first baseman in franchise history is Jose Abreu. This might upset White Sox fans right now because of the fact that he freshly is gone from the organization after so many years of great success. He will spend the next three seasons with the Houston Astros.
Abreu won an American League MVP in 2020 which is the highlight of his White Sox tenure. The only issue with him was that the team didn't have any playoff success while he was there. That was anything but his fault.
Abreu's 243 home runs rank third on the all-time White Sox leaderboard. There is no doubt that he was an outstanding and incredibly consistent hitter for a very long time. Not only will he go down as one of the best first basemen in franchise history, but one of the best players and leaders.
2. Paul Konerko
Paul Konerko is a legend in the history of White Sox and Chicago sports.
The Chicago White Sox have had some legendary moments. Nothing comes close to when they won the World Series in 2005. It is the single greatest team and season in the history of the franchise. The White Sox finally won it all after years and years of falling well short.
The biggest part of that core was Paul Konerko. He was a very average first baseman, runner, and everything else besides hitting. He was one of the best hitters in franchise history. He was so good and clutch that it is hard to deny him as anything other than a top-three player in franchise history.
He comes in as the second-best first baseman in franchise history because nobody really ever made an impact on the team like he did besides one person. His go-ahead grand slam in the 2005 World Series is considered to be the greatest moment in the history of the team.
Konerko is a legend in Chicago for being so good with this team. He might not have the gaudy statistics of some of his peers but he played during the steroid era and was just a bit shy of those guys in terms of numbers which tells you everything you need to know. Paulie was amazing.
1. Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas is the single best player in White Sox franchise history.
This is a list of the three best first basemen in Chicago White Sox franchise history. If this was a list of the ten best players in franchise history, Frank Thomas would also be number one. Nobody ever was as good as an individual wearing a White Sox uniform as he.
Thomas can be argued as the greatest right-handed hitter in the history of the sport and it would be hard to argue against him. For a long time, he was one of the most fierce hitters in the league that nobody wanted to face. He hit 448 home runs with the White Sox alone which is the most out of anybody.
He is the franchise leader in all-time home runs, doubles, RBIs, walks, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, and offensive WAR amongst many other categories. He was a decent first baseman defensively but his bat is what made him the greatest White Sox player ever.
When it comes to the Chicago Mt. Rushmore, Michael Jordan, Patrick Kane, Walter Payton, Scottie Pippin, and a few others come to mind. Frank Thomas is definitely in the conversation and is arguably one of the greatest Chicago athletes ever.
First base is a position that the team has done extremely well with. Hopefully, the next generation can keep that going.
Next. The White Sox should consider a trade for Max Fried. dark