2019 was a productive season for the White Sox despite only amassing 72 wins. We had a glimpse of the future, as several young stars had breakout seasons, including Yoán Moncada, Tim Anderson, Eloy Jiménez & Lucas Giolito. So it was easy for José Abreu’s season to be overshadowed — even if he was only the second player in White Sox history to lead the American League in RBI, along with Dick Allen in 1972.
Not only did Abreu lead the American League, he posted the tenth best RBI total in White Sox history. Here’s the list:
| Name | Year | RBI |
| Albert Belle | 1998 | 152 |
| Frank Thomas | 2000 | 143 |
| Zeke Bonura | 1936 | 138 |
| Magglio Ordoñez | 2002 | 135 |
| Frank Thomas | 1996 | 134 |
| Frank Thomas | 1993 | 128 |
| Luke Appling | 1936 | 128 |
| Magglio Ordoñez | 2000 | 126 |
| Frank Thomas | 1997 | 125 |
| José Abreu | 2019 | 123 |
Now let’s look at that list again, but with the team’s collective on-base percentages:
| Name | Year | RBI | Team OBP |
| Albert Belle | 1998 | 152 | .339 |
| Frank Thomas | 2000 | 143 | .356 |
| Zeke Bonura | 1936 | 138 | .374 |
| Magglio Ordoñez | 2002 | 135 | .338 |
| Frank Thomas | 1996 | 134 | .360 |
| Frank Thomas | 1993 | 128 | .338 |
| Luke Appling | 1936 | 128 | .374 |
| Magglio Ordoñez | 2000 | 126 | .356 |
| Frank Thomas | 1997 | 125 | .341 |
| José Abreu | 2019 | 123 | .314 |
Compared to the other teams on this list, Abreu had considerably less on-base ability around him, and that can be further illustrated with a few other eyepopping leaderboards. For example, Abreu’s 123 RBI led the White Sox by a ridiculous 44 over the next highest total, which was 79 by both Yoán Moncada & Eloy Jiménez. It’s the third biggest dropoff from team RBI leader to next highest total in franchise history. Here’s that list:
| Year | RBI leader | RBI | Next most | RBI | Differential |
| 1954 | Minnie Miñoso | 116 | Chico Carrasquel | 62 | +54 |
| 1972 | Dick Allen | 113 | Carlos May | 68 | +45 |
| 2019 | José Abreu | 123 | Moncada/Jiménez | 79 | +44 |
| 1998 | Albert Belle | 152 | Frank Thomas | 109 | +43 |
| 1951 | Eddie Robinson | 117 | Minnie Miñoso | 74 | +43 |
| 1952 | Eddie Robinson | 104 | Minnie Miñoso | 61 | +43 |
MLB
And connected to that is that Abreu accounted for a very high percentage of his team’s RBI – the highest percentage of a team’s RBI in 2019. Here are the leaders in that category:
| Name | Team | Ind. RBI/Team RBI | Percentage of team RBI |
| José Abreu | White Sox | 123 of 676 | 18.20% |
| Jorge Soler | Royals | 117 of 655 | 17.86% |
| Josh Bell | Pirates | 116 of 722 | 16.07% |
| Pete Alonso | Mets | 120 of 767 | 15.65% |
| Bryce Harper | Phillies | 114 of 742 | 15.36% |
That was good for sixth highest percentage of team’s RBI in a season in White Sox history:
| Name | Year | Ind. RBI/Team RBI | Percentage of team RBI |
| Dick Allen | 1972 | 113 of 528 | 21.40% |
| Happy Felsch | 1917 | 102 of 535 | 19.07% |
| Albert Belle | 1998 | 152 of 806 | 18.86% |
| Eddie Robinson | 1952 | 104 of 560 | 18.57% |
| Al Simmons | 1933 | 119 of 642 | 18.54% |
| José Abreu | 2019 | 123 of 676 | 18.20% |
The biggest knock on the RBI as a statistic is that it’s dependent on situation; if you come up the plate with nobody on, it’s much harder to drive in runs. While that’s true, how many times do you watch a baseball game and end up frustrated by runners stranded on the bases to end innings? Those runs need to be driven in and José Abreu was excellent at taking advantage of those opportunities. That’s evident in his .310/.348/.539 slashline in 2019 with men on base, as well as his .337/.368/.590 slashline with men in scoring position. Abreu did an excellent job of cleaning up when given the chance. For that, he deserves credit.
Whether or not you are a fan of the RBI, what José Abreu managed to do in 2019 is quite an achievement.
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