Top 5 Chicago Sports Stories In 2014

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Jose Abreu has a monster rookie season for the Chicago White Sox. 

Chicago baseball in 2014 was sad and frustrating. Neither team was a contender, and there were a lot of holes on both teams’ roster.

One exception to that was White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, who took MLB by storm. He had a slash line of .317/.383/.581, hit 36 home runs and had 107 RBI. He was named the American League Rookie of the Year in a unanimous vote, and finished 4th in AL MVP voting.

It is hard to believe, but the Abreu signing was criticized by some. He signed for six years, $68 million, the largest contract ever given to an international player. It was also the biggest deal handed out by the White Sox.

Here is what Buster Olney was saying about the signing. “[T]he White Sox are seeing something in Abreu that other teams are not. Some scouts wonder whether Abreu has the bat speed necessary to be an impact player in the big leagues, or even an average player…This is either going to be a tremendous, aggressive signing or a historic bust.”

Well, after the first season, it looks to be a more than tremendous signing. Here are some highlights on his rookie season:

• He was the first ROOKIE in MLB history to finish in the top five in the Triple   Crown categories.
• He was only the fourth rookie, and first since Albert Pujols in 2001, to post 30 doubles, 30 homers and 100 RBI in a season.
• His 36 homers set a franchise rookie record and his 107 RBI were the third-highest total by a White Sox Rookie.

It’s safe to say that this was a great signing by the White Sox, and they may have another Frank Thomas-type player on their hands. With the moves they made in the offseason, there could be a lot of happy times over on the South Side of Chicago.

Next: Derick Rose's and the Chicago Bulls' return