Rookie Jose Abreu Off to Sizzling Start

It’s not unusual for major league rookies to have a good first month or two of their first seasons, only to see things come back down to earth after opposing pitchers learn how to pitch to them effectively.  Sometimes, rookies will continue to perform at a high level, and we think Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu is one of those who will emerge as a star.

With two games left in the month of April, Abreu was hitting .271 with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs.  Both the home run and RBI numbers are records for rookies, and both are tops in the major leagues at this point.  Here’s Abreu winning the White Sox’ game on April 25th against Tampa Bay with a walk off grand slam homer, his second home run of the game.

Abreu, 27, defected from Cuba last summer and now lives in the Dominican Republic.  He was a star on the Cuban National Team, and the White Sox signed him to a six year $68 million deal.  Normally, we’d say that’s a lot of money to risk, but the White Sox operation obviously knew what it was doing.  There has always been a lot of baseball talent in Cuba, and there are others there who a shot at major league stardom.  Perhaps someday they won’t have to risk their lives defecting in order to get that chance.