Jose Abreu wins 2020 AL MVP and Hank Aaron Award

[Hatchetman 121]

That third year on the contract is really going to kill us.

[harkness99 260]

Very deserving for jose.

[harkness99 260]

you can tell how much he cares about baseball.

[asindc 48]

3 minutes ago, Hatchetman said:

That third year on the contract is really going to kill us.

I see what you did there.

[CWSpalehoseCWS 563]

Well deserved. Couldn't happen to a better Sox player.

[maloney.adam 350]

 

[poppysox 1,337]

48 minutes ago, mqr said:

If they win one in the next two years does he get a statue?

Without a doubt.

[South Side Hit Men 470]

1 hour ago, Jose Abreu said:

https://www.mlb.com/video/jose-abreu-on-winning-al-mvp

Thanks for linking. Very emotional.

I have family in Cuba, never seen my grandparents alive. It’s incredibly difficult to leave people you love with a strong chance you’ll never see them again.

Jose hit his forehead at the end, very mixed emotions for him, bittersweet. Hope he can one day find peace and reunite with his parents and family.

[maloney.adam 350]

 

[ShoeLessRob 182]

Late to the party, super happy for him. Happy for him as a human being. 

[shago 98]

Congratulations Captain [Lou] Jose Abreu!!

Maybe we can re-introduce the concept of the player/manager!!!

[chitownsportsfan 2,311]

Congrats.  Maybe I can sell the ball he signed for me his 1st spring at camel back to pay for counselling I need for the Sox hiring a drunk pos.

[greg775 1,240]

Congrats to MVP Jose.

[SoCalChiSox 332]

Congrats MVPito!

[smellysox 209]

Congrats Jose! The 5th MVP in Whitesox history. And no one more deserving. 

[Jose Abreu 2,152]

3 hours ago, South Side Hit Men said:

Jose hit his forehead at the end, very mixed emotions for him, bittersweet.

I was wondering what that was about. He obviously was very emotional the whole time, understandably so, and was thinking about his grandmother and his journey. But I was confused about that apparent burst of anger

[Chisoxfn 709]

Alright Jose - now to add a World Series MVP to your trophy case this upcoming year! 

[South Side Hit Men 470]

6 hours ago, Jose Abreu said:

I was wondering what that was about. He obviously was very emotional the whole time, understandably so, and was thinking about his grandmother and his journey. But I was confused about that apparent burst of anger

We can only speculate, but my take was he was just trying to control his emotions, stop from crying. It took him a minute or so at the beginning to stop crying after the announcement.

Jose is pretty laid back on the field and would assume off, and this was a unique circumstance. If it were Carlos Quentin, I may have a different assumption.

Viewers could see how really important the award was to Jose, both for professional and personal reasons, which made me / us even more happy he won it.

[ScooterMcGee 654]

1 hour ago, South Side Hit Men said:

We can only speculate, but my take was he was just trying to control his emotions, stop from crying. It took him a minute or so at the beginning to stop crying after the announcement.

Jose is pretty laid back on the field and would assume off, and this was a unique circumstance. If it were Carlos Quentin, I may have a different assumption.

Viewers could see how really important the award was to Jose, both for professional and personal reasons, which made me / us even more happy he won it.

Yeah I just think he was trying to control his emotions so he could speak to the guys at MLB Network.

[Squirmin' for Yermin 695]

How many MVPs will the White Sox have this decade? I'm going with 3.  

2020 - Abreu, 2 for Robert!

[South Side Hit Men 470]

12 hours ago, shago said:

Congratulations Captain [Lou] Jose Abreu!!

Maybe we can re-introduce the concept of the player/manager!!!

The White Sox had the American League's last Player Manager (Don Kessinger) under Bill Veeck in 1979. Pete Rose was the only one who served after.

The White Sox were also the last team to consider a player manager, Paul Konerko, before signing Robin Ventura (a missed opportunity IMO).

[Squirmin' for Yermin 695]

11 minutes ago, South Side Hit Men said:

The White Sox had the American League's last Player Manager (Don Kessinger) under Bill Veeck in 1979. Pete Rose was the only one who served after.

The White Sox were also the last team to consider a player manager, Paul Konerko, before signing Robin Ventura (a missed opportunity IMO).

I didn't know they looked into Konerko for that

[SonofaRoache 1,377]

So happy for Jose. He deserves every bit of this award this season. Hopefully he can keep up his outstanding hitting and defense moving forward to win another one. 

[ThirdGen 63]

My apologies if this has been covered, but I finally looked up the meaning of "Pito".  Is there a story as to why this is his nickname, or is there some other Cuban related meaning to this that the urban dictionary doesn't cover?  Seems a weird match for him, as he is the exact opposite I believe.

Edited November 13, 2020 by ThirdGen

[southsider2k5 5,804]

Digging deeper into this, I can't think of a guy on the Sox who I would rather see success for.  From his incredible sacrifices to escape Cuba, to his dangers and perils he encountered along that trip, including eating paperwork to try to protect himself.  The fights with the coyotes he had.  Being away from his entire family, including wife, kids, and mom.  Then fully embracing a strange town, team, and culture, and not only playing his best, but looking out for everyone he connected with.  He could have easily said nothing and gotten traded out of Chicago during the rebuild, or even asked to leave with no one wondering why or holding it against him.  Instead he begged to stay in Chicago, playing father and big brother to all of the kids who came before him.   There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that the Eloy extension, the Yoan extension, and the Robert signing and extension had Jose's fingerprints all over them.  This dude might have had more to do with the long term success of our rebuild than the front office did.  This year he knew how big of a year it would be, so he came to camp ready, lost a bunch of weight, and showed up to camp in MVP shape, and led by example.   Even if he isn't a Hall of Famer one day,  or the guy who puts up the biggest stats in Sox history, he will be an all-time favorite for me.  I think the part that warmed my heart the most was seeing the same guys who had been dead silent for over a week after the TLR hire, just come out and gush at Jose getting this award.  And it was players of all races and creeds to, and not just the Cubans or Latinos.  I have no idea how people could have a problem with Jose Abreu.  He is the perfect contrast for what the White Sox way should look like.  He does everything right.  He is a great teammate, has an incredible work ethic, and is willing to share that with everyone.  Congrats to Pito!