Grading the White Sox: José Abreu

Nov 30, 2022 - 3:03 AM

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At midseason, the SSS staff graded the 46-46 White Sox, from head of the class Dylan Cease all the way down to Dallas Keuchel. We invented a WARsss metric that could very well be just a cute way to trot out our special site grades — but really for all you know could be the product of years of research in a stats lab.

Our expanded report card will take us through everyone who saw time in uniform for the White Sox, plus some front-office types. Most of our writers will take on a couple of players, with final grades and short writeups, running through the end of November. Enjoy!

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José Abreu
First Baseman
Midseason: 4.8 WARsss
Final: 5.8 WARsss

We’re nearing the end of this series, and we have the best hitter on the White Sox up, in the dearly departed José Abreu.

Abreu amassed a .304 average, with 15 home runs, and 75 RBIs, good enough for a 4.5 WAR season and 17th in MVP voting. He was the iron man of the Sox this year, playing in 157 games. It was a great season for Pito — except for one key element, power.

He had a respectable slugging percentage of .446, but his 15 homers were lackluster. Sure, he hit for great average (tied for second-best in his career), but what we as fans and the team expect from him is to bring that spark of power to the lineup. You can’t blame Abreu, as the entire team was experiencing a power outage, but had he swung a little more for the fences he could have hit at least 20. Instead, he spent a season as just a “good hitter” and was second in the AL in hits with 183. A respectable mark for any player, but not exactly Abreu’s forte.

Regardless of the fact that he didn’t even match his 60-game 2020 total of home runs, José was still the leader of this team, the best hitter on it, and a player who deserves to be getting deep into the playoffs at this point in his career. Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets need a position to play that isn’t the outfield, and Abreu isn’t getting any younger. I know many fans would have loved to see Abreu stay, but also recognize that his career deserves a ring and it would be OK to see him leave to chase a title.

And that’s just what Abreu did, in signing with Houston. This is truly the end for José as a White Sox. He amassed a .292 batting average, 243 home runs, three Silver Sluggers, three All-Star nods, 32.4 WAR, and the 2020 AL MVP in eight seasons with the White Sox.

Abreu will be missed, and will hopefully be the next player to get his number retired by the Sox whenever he hangs it up. Thanks for the memories, José.

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2022 White Sox Grades

José Abreu, 1B, 5.8
Jimmy Lambert, RHRP, 5.2
Eloy Jiménez, “LF,” 4.9
Michael Kopech, RHSP, 4.86
Liam Hendriks, RHRP, 4.85
Danny Mendick, UTIL, 4.4
Ethan Katz, PIT COACH, 4.3
Tanner Banks, LHRP, 4.27
Andrew Vaughn, “LF,” 4.25
Davis Martin, RHSP, 4.1
Seby Zavala, C, 4.0
Luis Robert, CF, 3.7
Lance Lynn, RHSP, 3.5
Miguel Cairo, Bench Coach/MGR, 3.48
Tim Anderson, SS, 3.43
Kendall Graveman, RHRP, 3.1
Josh Harrison, 2B, 3.0
Gavin Sheets, RF-1B, 2.5
Jake Burger, 3B, 2.2
Romy González, IF, 2.0
Aaron Bummer, LHRP, 1.8
AJ Pollock, OF, 1.3
Matt Foster, RHRP, 1.2
Yoán Moncada, 3B, 0.92
Lenyn Sosa, SS, 0.85
José Ruiz, RHRP, 0.83
Mark Payton, OF, 0.6
Carlos Pérez, C, 0.399
Lucas Giolito, RHSP, 0.392
Adam Engel, OF, 0.237
Vince Velasquez, RHP, -0.4
Reese McGuire, C, -1.1
Kyle Crick, RHRP, -1.65
Joe Kelly, RHRP, -1.75
Daryl Boston, 1B Coach, -2.0
Anderson Severino, LHRP, -2.2
Jerry Reinsdorf, OWN, -2.321
Jake Diekman, LHRP, -2.366
Rick Hahn, GM, -2.401
Bennett Sousa, LHRP, -2.425
Frank Menechino, BAT COACH, -2.469
Yasmani Grandal, C/DH, -2.549
Leury García, UTIL, -2.7
Adam Haseley, OF, -3.146
Joe McEwing, 3B Coach, -3.167
Ryan Burr, RHRP, -3.4
Tony La Russa, MGR, -3.5
Dallas Keuchel, LHSP, -3.9

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