Even before position players reported for spring training Feb. 20, the Chicago White Sox camp has been all about rookie first baseman Jose Abreu. And don’t expect that to change, as the 27-year-old Cuban captured the attention of teammates and the front office from Day 1.
It started with the fact that Abreu, who the White Sox invested $68 million over the next six years in over the winter, showed up to Glendale early. Then it has been his hours of work in the batting cages with new hitting coach Todd Steverson, followed up by hitting sessions with monstrous home runs to parts of the White Sox facility that have not been reached by most hitters.
None of which has gone unnoticed.
“That’s stuff you like to see, the way he works and goes about it,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of Abreu.
Ventura would know, since he has been throwing batting practice to him, and was a victim of one of those humongous homers.
“He knows how to practice,” Ventura continued. “You’re watching him practice, and he’s not worried about trying to hit every ball over the fence. He’s moving it around the field and hitting it on the barrel. Even fielding stuff, you’re watching him do things for a reason. He has a way to go about it that’s very professional.”
That’s what the Sox initially liked about Abreu before they handed him that hefty deposit. And that’s also why they feel he can be one of the cornerstones of their new-look offense moving forward. With team captain Paul Konerko in his final season and Adam Dunn in the final year of a contract he never lived up to, Abreu will have every opportunity to hit in the middle of the order and be a player the Sox can try and build around.
“He was hitting for, like, four hours in the cage (on Feb. 18), so I can’t imagine what he’s going to do when he’s feeling good and has some rust off of him,” second baseman Gordon Beckham said.
What has also been refreshing from Abreu is the way he has made himself available to the media, and while he uses a translator, he has already been working on his English. The point he made several times is that he knows there are lofty expectations on him already, but he seems prepared to embrace that.
“Expectations for me are clear, but I have to prepare,” Abreu said. “That’s all I control for now — preparation.”
And all Ventura can do for now is sit back and see how it plays out. The hope is he can be that middle-of-the-lineup force, as well as a guy that gets 500 at-bats, but nothing is guaranteed, especially for a team that lost 99 games last season.
“It’s not required that he has to have (500 at-bats),” Ventura said. “We’ll kind of readjust and see how it goes during the season. If he does, that’s great. I just want to let him play. There are expectations because of the money you have and him coming over from Cuba. I just want him to be comfortable and play.”