White Sox' Abreu wins rookie award, looks forward to next year
Congratulations, Jose Abreu.
And here is a well-deserved tip of the cap for winning American League Rookie of the Years honors Monday in a unanimous vote conducted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Abreu captured all 30 first-place votes and finished with 150 points. The Angels' Matt Shoemaker was second with 40 points and the Yankees' Dellin Betances third with 27 points.
"I wasn't expecting this," Abreu said through a translator at U.S. Cellular Field. "Even though it doesn't show in my face, inside I'm really happy. I want to thank the White Sox for giving me the opportunity to be here."
Now, for the next phase.
Long before Abreu finished his first season with a .317 batting average, 35 doubles, 36 home runs, 107 RBI, a .581 slugging and .383 on-base percentage in 145 games with the Sox, skeptics started wondering if the 27-year-old first baseman could do it again.
When asked about the future, Abreu again turned the spotlight off himself and placed it on his team.
"What I want to do is win with the White Sox," he said. "It's something that has been in my mind through the season and the off-season. I'm working toward next season for the White Sox."
Given Abreu's imposing presence in the middle of the lineup, the Sox could bounce back from two straight losing seasons in 2015 if general manager Rick Hahn can find a productive left-handed designated hitter (Victor Martinez?), a new left fielder and a new right-handed starting pitcher while rebuilding one of baseball's worst bullpens.
That's a lengthy to-do list, but Abreu appears to have the talent, work ethic and no-nonsense approach to remain an offensive force next season and beyond.
"He has his own personal self-expectations, as most players do," Sox hitting coach Todd Steverson said. "If the man stays consistent at what he did this year and he improves in any other areas that may have been transgressions for him, then we're all in.
"I'm sure he'll start to realize seeing pitchers over and over again when they're pitching to him, when they're not pitching to him, he'll have a bit more patience than he did at the plate instead of trying to do everything by himself sometimes."
Abreu often was a one-man wrecking crew for the White Sox, but that could change if Hahn can find a new designated hitter to provide better protection in the lineup.
Even with Avisail Garcia sidelined four months with a shoulder injury and Adam Dunn providing little or no protection before being traded to Oakland in late April, Abreu still led the majors in slugging percentage, joining Dick Allen (1974) as the only players in White Sox history to accomplish that feat.
He also ranked among AL leaders in OPS (.964, second), home runs (tied for third), RBI (fourth) and batting average (fifth).
Signed to a six-year, $68 million contract on Oct. 29, 2013, after starring for Cienfuegos in his native Cuba, Abreu was an AL all-star, and he became the first rookie in baseball history to rank in the Top 5 in his league in each Triple Crown category.
"It wasn't easy the first time," Abreu said. "I had the help of the White Sox and my teammates. The process was difficult, but I adjusted all season and the results are here. I became rookie of the year, and I guess this says a lot about the adjustment I made."
sgregor@dailyherald.com
Second time around
Jose Abreu was the landslide BBWAA American League Rookie of the Year Award winner Monday after batting .317 with 36 home runs, 107 RBI and a .383 on-base percentage for the White Sox. Here's a look at the last five AL Rookie of the Year winners and how they fared in their second seasons:
<b>2013 Wil Myers, Tampa Bay Rays</b>'13 season: .293, 13 HRs, 53 RBI, .354 OBP
'14 season: .222, 6 HRs, 35 RBI, .294 OBP
<b>2012 Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels</b>'12 season: .326, 30 HRs, 83 RBI, .399 OBP
'13 season: .323, 27 HRs, 97 RBI, .432 OBP
<b>2011 Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays</b>'11 season: 13-10, 2.95 ERA (29 starts), 117 K in 189 innings
'12 season: 10-11, 3.10 ERA in 31 starts, 124 K in 177 innings
<b>2010 Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers</b>'10 season: 4-3, 2.73 ERA in 70 relief appearances, 40 saves
'11 season: 2-3, 2.74 ERA in 64 relief appearances, 32 saves
<b>2009 Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics</b>'09 season: 6-3, 1.84 ERA in 68 relief appearances, 26 saves
'10 season: 1-3, 1.47 ERA in 47 relief appearances, 25 saves