Chicago baseball: How does Jose Abreu compare to Anthony Rizzo?

Chicago Cubs star first baseman Anthony Rizzo is widely recognized as one of the best at his position in baseball while White Sox counterpart Jose Abreu keeps flying under the radar? Are they closer than you think?

I’m not sure why I chose this particular Tuesday to call down the wrath of Chicago Cubs nation upon myself, but whatever: I have a question to ask, and I don’t think it’s going to get emphatically answered here.

Who’s better: Cubs star first baseman Anthony Rizzo or his perpetually underrated Chicago White Sox counterpart Jose Abreu?

Yep, there it is. Smite me.

Okay, since I’m still here, let’s talk.

I had wondered about this question since MLB Network put out this year’s list of top 100 players and had Abreu (No. 38) 15 spots behind Rizzo (No. 23). And then, I saw someone question whether or not Abreu was above Rizzo on Twitter this morning.

And to an extent, I can understand it.

For one thing, Rizzo is the second-best player on the Cubs, one of the better teams in the league. He helped lead the team to a World Series title and three straight NLCS appearances, which has earned him some high finishes in NL MVP voting the last view years.

Meanwhile, Abreu toils in obscurity for a White Sox team that has been bad since he got here, regardless of how great he’s been.

That said, is there reason to believe that Abreu, despite his lagging popularity, may actually be a better player?

Maybe…

And I’m not just saying this because Abreu is torching the baseball right now and Rizzo is scuffling at the moment. Once Rizzo gets back into form—he’s struggled with some back issues early this season—and the weather warms up, so will he.

But over the course of Abreu’s time in baseball, his numbers hold up very favorably in comparison to his crosstown counterpart. So well, in fact, that they merit a deeper look.