Sox Sign Jose Abreu - 6/$68 million

[Thad Bosley]

No big deal. It's the one time ever where my alumni has a relevant player that could be drafted by the sox.

 

Freshman year he probably stole 30+ bases. He had a foot injury this year that slowed him down. I could see him being a 20-30 SB player in the big leagues.

 

He's been playing short stop and has a great arm. Not sure if he could project to CF. He's still pretty lanky and will fill out so maybe some more power potential? I would think his HR potential would be in the 20ish range.

 

I'm a huge fan but maybe I'm drinking the koolaid since I watch a lot of the games. Just my two cents

Just 20-30 stolen bases? I think he'll be a candidate for far more than that. It's his blazing speed that sets him apart from the other prospects and what has him in discussions about being a top five pick. He's already been described as a "base-stealing phenom" at the collegiate level. And with that speed, combined with his good bat and excellent defensive skills at a premium position, to me he's the easy choice for an organization whose farm system lacks elite position players. I, for one, hope he's available when it's the Sox' turn to pick next year and that they select him.

[JoshPR]

Right out of the draft??? That doesn't happen.

 

Even Bryce Harper spent 122 games in the minors before making the jump....Best case scenario would be at the midway point of 2015.

I didn't phrase my words correctly. I was thinking as you said, maybe half a season or so. Thanks for the correction

[NCsoxfan]

Just 20-30 stolen bases? I think he'll be a candidate for far more than that. It's his blazing speed that sets him apart from the other prospects and what has him in discussions about being a top five pick. He's already been described as a "base-stealing phenom" at the collegiate level. And with that speed, combined with his good bat and excellent defensive skills at a premium position, to me he's the easy choice for an organization whose farm system lacks elite position players. I, for one, hope he's available when it's the Sox' turn to pick next year and that they select him.

 

Maybe a bit conservative. He was a bit slowed by the foot injury so maybe I'm forgetting his freshman year.

[2nd_city_saint787]

No big deal. It's the one time ever where my alumni has a relevant player that could be drafted by the sox.

 

Freshman year he probably stole 30+ bases. He had a foot injury this year that slowed him down. I could see him being a 20-30 SB player in the big leagues.

 

He's been playing short stop and has a great arm. Not sure if he could project to CF. He's still pretty lanky and will fill out so maybe some more power potential? I would think his HR potential would be in the 20ish range.

 

I'm a huge fan but maybe I'm drinking the koolaid since I watch a lot of the games. Just my two cents

 

That 30+ number actually makes him sound slow compared to what he actually did lol. He was 57 of 61...in 63 games...That's remarkable. If he pans out we're probably looking at at least 40.

 

His 2nd year, which like you said he was indeed dealing with a foot injury, he still stole 30 bags in 56 games which is nothing to scoff at.

 

I also like the fact that he walked 41 times as a freshman and 38 times(in 7 less games) as a sophomore. You know teams didn't wanna walk him yet he still managed a large amount so that tells me he was a pretty good eye/approach up there.

 

As far as not knowing if he can play CF, that's not an issue. His D at SS has been called plus-plus.

Edited October 20, 2013 by scs787

[NCsoxfan]

That 30+ number is actually makes him sound slow compared to what he actually did lol. He was 57 of 61...in 63 games...That's remarkable. If he pans out we're probably looking at at least 40.

 

His 2nd year, which like you said he was indeed dealing with a foot injury, he still stole 30 bags in 56 games which is nothing to scoff at.

 

I also like the fact that he walked 41 times as a freshman and 38 times(in 7 less games) as a sophomore. You know teams didn't wanna walk him yet he still managed a large amount so that tells me he was a pretty good eye/approach up there.

 

As far as not knowing if he can play CF, that's not an issue. His D at SS has been called plus-plus.

 

As long as Rodon stays healthy I have to think he's a lock for #1. I'd be thrilled if Turner fells to us at 3.

[BigHurt3515]

I can't wait to see JOSE ABREU hit this year.

 

This thread is no longer about him lol

[hi8is]

With the amount of good arms in this crop, I'd be shocked if turner is take second.

Hell, it's possible he falls past the top 5 picks.

 

Picking at number 3 - we're extremely likely to get turner if that's who Hanh really wants.

[hi8is]

I can't wait to see JOSE ABREU hit this year.

 

This thread is no longer about him lol

Yea, we bounced all over

Not much more to say about Abreu unless Cubano somehow resurfaces.

[TheBigHurtIsBack]

Glad to hear the Sox got their man. I really don't know much about Abreau but I've seen people salivating over him on the board for a while so hopefully this is a great signing.

[caulfield12]

The biggest contract signed by a Cuban defector so far is the seven-year, $42 million deal Puig got from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

 

"Along with Cespedes, he's the biggest name to leave Cuba,'' said Cuban baseball expert and author Peter Bjarkman. "He must look at what Puig got and think, 'He was just a young prospect. I'm a superstar.'''

 

Abreu, 26, twice came close to winning the triple crown in the Cuban National Series, a feat never accomplished in the league's half-century history. The season after Cespedes set a league record with 33 home runs, Abreu blasted 35.

 

"So you can imagine what kind of hitter he is,'' Cespedes said.

 

Abreu was the starting first baseman and fifth-place hitter for the Cuban national team and batted .360 with three homers and nine RBI in six games during this year's World Baseball Classic.

 

Even though he's listed as 6-2 and 258 pounds in the WBC roster, Cespedes and Bjarkman say Abreu is closer to 6-4 or 6-5, and athletic.

 

"If Puig is built like a linebacker, Abreu looks like a tight end,'' Bjarkman said. "He's got as much potential as anybody to come out of Cuba.''

 

from usatoday.com/sports

 

 

This Bjarkman dude is the one who kind of poo-poohed the Viciedo deal, and was skeptical about the impact he would have, right?

 

 

 

 

Abreu is often called a four-tool player, missing only the speed of his countrymen Puig and Cespedes. Scouts have compared him to Ryan Howard because of his size and easy power. Peter Bjarkman, who covers the Cuban league for baseballdecuba.com, said Abreu had the look of a young Mark McGwire.

 

Adding to his value, Abreu will be part of a relatively thin free-agent class in the major leagues. So far, the San Francisco Giants have expressed interest, as have the Boston Red Sox, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Baltimore Orioles. The Mets, still looking for an impact hitter at first base, would also make an intriguing landing spot.

 

But Abreu is hardly a guarantee at the major league level. An international scout for one major league team said that Alfredo Despaigne and Frederich Cepeda, outfielders on the Cuban national team, were more dangerous hitters.

 

An international scout for another team said that major league clubs could not afford to make a mistake when spending big on a first baseman, since it is a traditional power position filled by players who bat in the middle of the lineup. In other words, the scout said, the same money that could be used to sign Abreu might be better spent in the acquisition of one of the many established first basemen “you already know can hit big league pitching.”

 

Neither scout wanted to be quoted by name discussing a player his team might end up bidding on.

 

Bjarkman noted that Abreu’s prodigious numbers came in a league that is leaking talent, as more and more players leave the country. Some pitchers in Cuba, he said, throw between 80 and 85 miles per hour, which is almost akin to batting practice in the majors.

 

“His numbers in the Cuban league are great, but they came against some very mediocre pitching,” Bjarkman said. “For the national team, he dropped off a bit. If there is a question, it’s whether he can adjust as quickly to the better pitching as the Cuban players who have been so good in the majors.”

 

Sigfredo Barros, a baseball writer for the Cuban newspaper Granma, said: “Sometimes it can be very hard to tell with the Cuban players. Not everyone can be Puig.”

from nytimes.com

Edited October 20, 2013 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

“Last year wasn’t a very good year, and everybody’s asking what we’re going to do,” Eddie Einhorn, the White Sox’ vice chairman, said by phone. “Well, here you go: we did something. If he turns out to be what’s expected, it’s money well spent.”

 

The White Sox hope Abreu will inject a shot of energy into not just the lineup but also the franchise, which drew fewer than

1.8 million fans a year ago, an average of 22,105 per game.

 

“You got to show the fans that we don’t quit,” Einhorn said. Referring to the electric Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, like Abreu a Cuban, Einhorn added, “Hopefully he’s like Puig and can put people in the seats.”

 

The $68 million price comes with the risks of a somewhat unknown commodity — and the lofty expectations that Abreu will follow in the footsteps of Puig and Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes, two Cubans who starred for teams that made the playoffs.

 

But Abreu is not an outstanding athlete like his countrymen, nor can he play multiple positions. While his numbers in Cuba provide a reason for optimism, nobody knows how he will hit against major league pitching.

 

“The caveat I keep hearing is that he’s great but we wish we’d seen more of him,” said Keith Law, a former member of the Toronto Blue Jays’ front office and now an ESPN analyst. “That makes him riskier than your average free-agent signing.”

 

Law said he worried that the White Sox, given the holes up and down their roster, were perhaps not the best fit for Abreu.

 

“You wonder if they could have spent the money elsewhere,” he said. But he added, “I get that this will be a fun team if Abreu is batting cleanup, and I don’t think it’s going to flop.”

 

The lucrative contract may be more reasonable than it appears at first glance. The White Sox will pay Abreu an average salary of a little more than $11 million annually, a bargain for a middle-of-the-lineup power hitter. In addition, the White Sox did not have to give up draft picks or prospects to obtain him.

 

Abreu’s signing made sense for the White Sox because they needed both a first baseman and a power bat. Paul Konerko, 37, who has played first base for the team for the better part of this millennium, is a free agent who has pondered retirement. Although the addition of Abreu appears to end Konerko’s tenure with the White Sox, the team plans to sit down with him next month to discuss his future.

 

Abreu will join two Cubans already in Chicago’s everyday lineup: shortstop Alexei Ramirez and left fielder Dayan Viciedo.

 

“This is good for our fans because it gives us hope,” Einhorn said. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But we listened to our scouts, and I hope we picked a good one.”

 

www.nytimes.com

[macsandz]

As a NC State grad and avid follower of their team - I'd be ecstatic if we landed either Rodon or Turner.

 

Turner would be quite the catch. Speed, live bat, power, you name it.

 

So much can happen between now and June, but I can tell you Rick really likes Trea Turner. I've heard this a few times.

 

X-factor kid. Game IQ, + speed, + defense and quality approach at the plate.

[caulfield12]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...0,4260812.story

 

Colleen Kane (is she the new Sox beat writer) on Abreu

 

Some fairly tepid comments from Viciedo

"He's a good hitter," Viciedo said through a team interpreter. "He always has been representing Cuba in international tournaments, and he always has been good. I wouldn't go past that in saying anything else. But he's a good hitter."

 

 

"Some might be surprised (the bidding) got up that high," said Ben Badler, a reporter for Baseball America who covers international prospects and has followed Abreu's career the last few years. "But there's also an understanding Abreu is the type of player who has the talent to justify that kind of contract."

[ptatc]

Mike Leake also comes to mind, but I don't think there's ever been a hitter to do so. The Sox don't really need a pitcher to come straight out of the draft, unless Rondon drops to us and they wanna use him as a LH bullpen arm.

Guys like John Olerud and Dave winfield didn't even go to the minors, if my old mind is still working.

[flavum]

Guys like John Olerud and Dave winfield didn't even go to the minors, if my old mind is still working.

 

Correct. Add Bob Horner, Pete Incaviglia, and Jim Abbott.

[oldsox]

Supposedly 4 other teams made bids between $63-$66 million on Abreu according to Rosenthal

Not true. Denver Post just had a column stating Astros had second highest bid at $50 Million, Rangers and BoSox at $40 ish.

[southsider2k5]

Not true. Denver Post just had a column stating Astros had second highest bid at $50 Million, Rangers and BoSox at $40 ish.

 

Reports have definitely varied on this one.

[ChiSox59]

Not true. Denver Post just had a column stating Astros had second highest bid at $50 Million, Rangers and BoSox at $40 ish.

 

There are certainly conflicting reports on the matter.

[witesoxfan]

Law was a part of the Jays during the Sirotka deal, right?

 

 

Yes.

 

But he is also just a bad analyst.

 

No, he was not. The Sox made that deal with Gord Ash, Ash was understandably fired after the 2001 season. The Blue Jays hired JP Ricciardi and Ricciardi brought Law in to the Jays organization.

[witesoxfan]

Guys were probably saying the same about Manaea this time last year. I don't take any of these rankings serious until May. Chris beck was a consensus top 15 pick for 2012 in October of 2011. Come June, we picked him 76th overall.

 

And this is true of so, so many sports too. About 10 years ago, Leinart was the favorite to be drafted #1 overall, but came back to try and win a second Heisman and another National Championship, and instead saw Reggie Bush win it and Vince Young win the National Championship and then saw his stock plummet all the way to 10th.

 

It happens in baseball too and that's far more unpredictable.

[flavum]

https://twitter.com/toppscards/status/39235...1931009/photo/1

 

ooooooooh...k

 

Probably won't ever be in that uniform.

[Quin]

https://twitter.com/toppscards/status/39235...1931009/photo/1

 

ooooooooh...k

 

Probably won't ever be in that uniform.

 

He probably will.

[credescrew24]

So does this mean a return of the JOSE JOSE JOSE JOOOOSE chant at the cell?? miss those days

[GoodAsGould]

And this is true of so, so many sports too. About 10 years ago, Leinart was the favorite to be drafted #1 overall, but came back to try and win a second Heisman and another National Championship, and instead saw Reggie Bush win it and Vince Young win the National Championship and then saw his stock plummet all the way to 10th.

 

It happens in baseball too and that's far more unpredictable.

 

Wasn't Noah probably a 1st or 2nd overall pick as well, but he came back for another title run and we ended up getting him 12th or whenever our pick was.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

https://twitter.com/toppscards/status/39235...1931009/photo/1

 

ooooooooh...k

 

Probably won't ever be in that uniform.

 

Is he not going to play on Sundays or when Chris Sale starts?