Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox
When strictly looking at counting stats, Jose Abreu has been very consistent. He’s notched at least 20 homers each season since debuting in 2014 and has also added 100-plus RBI to that on four different occasions. His 22 dingers and 68 RBI were both single-season career lows in 2018, but those weren’t the only things that took a dip.
Abreu watched his wRC+ (114), OPS (.798), and fWAR (1.2) drop to career-low marks, too. His batted-ball profile didn’t show much change outside of a .294 BABIP, which was also a career low (it had never been below .327 in a single season prior to ’18). So it seems as if tough luck played a part in some of Abreu’s decreased production.
He at least had himself a strong second half after struggling before the All-Star break. Having a typical year at the plate will be even more important this year because of both his looming free agency and role on the White Sox. Abreu has never been a stellar defender, but Chicago’s acquisition of Yonder Alonso will push him to designated hitter much more often than before.
Sure, a universal designated hitter may be on the horizon. However, the 32-year-old’s earning power could take even more of a hit if his time on the field gets significantly decreased and his offense doesn’t bounce back.
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