First baseman Abreu OK with some DH for Chicago White Sox
Two years ago, Jose Abreu objected to serving as the Chicago White Sox's designated hitter and wasn't shy about expressing his preference for playing first base.
But the numbers strongly suggested Abreu was not helping the Sox as a two-way player. In addition to hitting 19 points higher at DH, Abreu's defensive play at first base was below average.
Last year was a bit different.
Abreu hit .295 as a first baseman and just .259 at DH, but those numbers were misleading. In 624 total at-bats, 597 came when Abreu was playing first.
New manager Rick Renteria has continued to say he's going to use a fleet of designated hitters this season, and Abreu will be included in the mix.
“Not only (Abreu), but there are probably three or four guys,” Renteria said. “We are going to use that (DH) slot to kind of alleviate being in that both-sides-of-the-ball situation when we have to, when it accommodates a particular need for us.
“The thing is, these guys want to grind and play through a lot of things, which we are very happy they do.
“But I have to be able to use my own common sense and my eyes and my conversations with our staff to see when we can alleviate these guys from actually being out there on both sides of the ball at times.”
In 2015, Abreu was the club's starting first baseman in 115 games, and he batted 285. He was the DH in 39 games and batted .304.
This season Abreu is still pushing for full-time play at first base. But he's open to whatever Renteria asks.
“Everyone knows we are here to play,” Abreu said through a translator. “I don't like to be a DH, but in a season as long as the major-league season is, there are some days you need to be a DH or you need to take a rest. I'm good with that. Rick is the boss, and we have to follow his lead.”
According to FanGraphs, Abreu ranked 21st among qualified major-league first baseman last year with a -17.3 defensive rating. Only Cincinnati's Joey Votto (-18.7) and Kansas City's Eric Hosmer (-20.4) were rated worse.
Abreu is never going to win a Gold Glove, and the Sox signed him to a six-year, $68 million contract after the 2013 season for his power bat.
In 2014, Abreu hit .317 with 36 home runs and 107 RBI while winning American Rookie of the Year honors.
He slipped a bit last season with 25 homers, but the 30-year-old slugger still reached the 100 RBI mark for the third straight season after overcoming a slow start.
“Everybody knows that at the beginning of last season I wasn't performing good,” Abreu said. “It was kind of a surprise for me, too. But I'm in good shape right now and I believe I will be able to pick up where I left off last year.”
Assuming Abreu doesn't get traded by the rebuilding White Sox, he should spend most of the season at first base.
Renteria also can move Todd Frazier from third base to first base at times, and Matt Davidson also can give Abreu a breather if he breaks camp on the 25-man roster.
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