Jose Abreu: ‘I Just Want To Keep On Doing What I’m Doing’
Chicago White Sox infielder Jose Abreu may be a rookie, but he is putting up some very impressive numbers. In the first 10 games, the 27-year-old has scored four home runs and 14 RBI, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Manager Robin Ventura was asked if he had ever seen any other White Sox player perform as well as Jose Abreu has thus far. The first name that came to mind was Frank Thomas, who won two MVP awards and scored 521 home runs during his career.
“He made the Hall of Fame and everything,” Ventura said. “So, he’s pretty good.”
But the Sun-Times article states Thomas had a batting average of.273, four RBI, and produced zero homers in his first 10 games – which Jose Abreu has already exceeded.
Jose Abreu is the first rookie White Sox player to have two four-plus-RBI games in his first eight. He was also intentionally walked twice in the second game of his career, and has had two multi-homer games in the first three.
Abreu has been a powerhouse for the team, helping them overcome their 14-game losing streak to the Cleveland Indians by scoring a solo home run in the second inning and a two-run homer in the fifth. The Sox predict that by the end of the season, Jose Abreu will have 65 home runs and 227 RBI.
For right now, though, Abreu is focusing less on how he plays in his starting season and more on “the team success.”
”It’s not about my own personal success — it’s about the team success,” Abreu said through a translator. “Whatever I can do to help the team win games or succeed, that’s all that really matters as far as expectations and being successful.”
Jose Abreu calls the early comparisons to Thomas an “incredible compliment,” but he wants to bring them to a halt, according to a report from the Chicago Tribune.
“We all know what (Thomas) has done; we know what he accomplished,” he said.
And even though Jose Abreu looks to be the next power hitter for the Sox, assistant hitting coach Harold Baines wants everyone to “just let him play.”
”I don’t believe in putting labels on guys,” Baines said. “That’s what happens to a lot of players — people start putting labels on players, so let it play out for a year and then maybe you can talk about it.”
Jose Abreu has been enjoying his time with the Sox, calling it “a great experience.”
“I am just thankful for all the support from my teammates who have made this start what it is,” he said. “I just want to keep on doing what I’m doing.”
The Thursday night game against the Indians resulted in a 7-3 win for the Sox, and it also saw Jose Abreu splitting open a baseball, according to Fox Sports. The Sox won on Friday 9-6, and the teams will play the last two games of the series on Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13.
