Chicago White Sox: Jose Abreu reaches the Promised Land
By David Hill
The Chicago White Sox have finally returned to the postseason. For Jose Abreu, this moment has been a long time coming.
As one of the longest tenured players on the Chicago White Sox, Jose Abreu has been there through some tough times. He joined the team in 2014, and since that time, had not been a part of a winning team. The White Sox had not finished above .500 in any of Abreu’s seven years, and had finished better than fourth in the division just once.
On Thursday, that finally changed. And Abreu, in just four words, showed how much that moment meant.
Jiménez told us that José Abreu said “I finally made it"
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) September 17, 2020
It may not sound like much, but the sense of relief and emotion are palpable. Some players go through their entire careers without this chance – just look at Cubs legend Ernie Banks. It is something that Abreu will not have to worry about going forward.
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It is fitting that the White Sox are returning to the postseason in what may be Abreu’s best year. He has placed himself firmly into the AL MVP conversation, producing an excellent .332/.374/.644 batting line with 17 homers and 13 doubles. Abreu leads the AL with 68 hits and 51 RBI while his 2.7 bWAR is fourth in the league.
This success goes beyond Abreu. It is a culmination of the years of rebuilding, with those prospects paying off. Yoan Moncada and Lucas Giolito have blossomed into stars. what they were expected to. It was the knowledge that the White Sox were on the cusp of contending, and bringing in key free agents such as Yasmani Grandal and Dallas Keuchel. It is a matter of prospects such as Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert living up their their immense potential and becoming what the White Sox had hoped for.
Abreu could see this coming. He was scheduled for free agency last offseason, but stated his desire to be a part of the White Sox future. That happened with a three year, $50 million contract, cementing Abreu in place as one of the veteran leaders of the team. He would be a part of that future.
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And now, everything has come together. What Jose Abreu could see coming has happened – the Chicago White Sox are heading to the postseason.