1. 1B Jose Abreu – Chicago White Sox
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A 27-year old ROY, Jose Abreu can become more than that in the coming years. He was an absolute beast in 2014 amongst a lineup that did not have much depth or players to complement him with. Going in almost blind to a 162 game MLB campaign, Oso was an All-Star, earned a Silver Slugger award and finished fourth in AL MVP voting by hitting .317 with 36 home runs and 107 RBI. He also led the league in slugging percentage with a mark of .581, equating to an OPS of .964, the second best effort of 2014.
Chicago reeled in some pretty substantial talent this offseason to further benefit Abreu. Melky Cabrera (.301-16-73 in ’14) and Adam LaRoche (.259-26-92) are the new guys in town who will look to get the White Sox back into the postseason for the first time since 2008.
Abreu did so many outstanding things in 2014, it would be foolish to think he won’t be the most productive player on this list. A free agent in 2020, if the first baseman’s production stays on its current trajectory until then, paying him no more than $13.667 million in any given season is like finding a crumpled up 50 dollar bill in your winter jacket every November . His talent levels and value will no doubt be very pleasant perennial surprises for the ChiSox every summer.
No. 79 is expected to swing a big stick again in 2015. His WAR is estimated to be 4.5 with an overall line of .293-88-36-102-3, also anticipating a drop in his strikeout frequency too.