Numbers aside, Abreu back at first base for Chicago White Sox
The numbers from last season don't lie - the Chicago White Sox were better when Adam LaRoche played first base and Jose Abreu was the designated hitter.
In 160 at-bats as a first baseman, LaRoche had a .238/.309/.438 hitting line with 8 home runs and 20 RBI. In 263 at-bats as a DH, he slashed .186/.279/.281 with 4 homers and 21 RBI.
In 452 at-bats at first, Abreu posted a .285/.351/.482 line with 21 home runs and 75 RBI. In 161 at-bats at DH, he slashed .304/.335/.559 with 9 homers and 26 RBI.
When you also consider LaRoche has a superior glove, the Sox are clearly better when he plays first base and Abreu is the DH.
So, why don't the Sox make the switch?
"I don't like it," Abreu said of the DH spot.
While he is a team-first guy and is willing to be the designated hitter, Abreu is much more content when he is playing first base.
Not surprisingly, the White Sox want to make sure their best hitter is happy, even if the numbers clearly suggest a switch.
Abreu returns for his third season with the Sox after joining Albert Pujols as the only players in major-league history to have 30-plus home runs and 100 or more RBI in each of their first two seasons.
"It's very important for me and very special for me," Abreu said through a translator. "Every time that I can see my name along with Pujols and see what we have done, it's something for me that's very important.
"Pujols is one of the greatest players in the history of baseball and to see my name along with his is very good."
The most impressive thing about Abreu's first two years with the Sox?
As a rookie, Adam Dunn failed to protect him out of the cleanup spot. LaRoche also failed last year.
Todd Frazier was acquired in an off-season trade from the Reds, and he will hit behind Abreu this season.
With Cincinnati last season, Frazier ranked fourth in the National League with 35 home runs and 11th with 89 RBI. Abreu was 13th in the American League with 30 homers and eighth with 101 RBI.
"We like (Frazier's) presence in the middle of the order," said White Sox general manager Rick Hahn. "We think that's going to help, not just having more runs scored because of who he is as a player, but it's going to have a ripple effect on the guys around him."
• Second in a series analyzing each position on the roster.