Jose Abreu about to get the national stage he’s always deserved

White Sox star Jose Abreu finally getting the chance to play in the postseason

For the first six years of his Major League career, Jose Abreu toiled in relative anonymity on Chicago’s South Side, overshadowed by the White Sox crosstown neighbors and his club’s mediocrity.

That will finally change on Tuesday, when Abreu, a front-runner for American League Most Valuable Player this season, plays in the first postseason game of his career. Abreu and the White Sox travel to Oakland to play the Athletics in the best-of-three Wild Card series.

Manager Rick Renteria knew what kind of player his first baseman was. So did the players in his clubhouse. But Abreu introduced himself to the wider public this season, leading the AL with 60 RBI and finishing fourth in batting average (.317) and fifth in OPS (.987). He was even better during Chicago’s run to the postseason, batting .320 with seven home runs in September. He’s the first player in White Sox franchise history with as many RBI as games played in a season (min. 60 RBI), and the first to do so across the league since Sammy Sosa and Juan Gonzalez in 2001.

That type of individual success is nothing new to Abreu, who arrived in Chicago from Cuba in 2014. Since his debut, he’s second in the league in RBI to Colorado’s Nolan Arenado and eighth with 198 home runs. Every player ahead of him on that list has made the postseason at least once over that span. But Abreu has not. For how great he’s been for the White Sox, the rest of the team has been just as dreadful in the standings.

The White Sox had never finished with a winning record over Abreu’s first six seasons. He’s the longest-tenured player on the White Sox other than utilityman Leury Garcia and has emerged as a mentor to Chicago’s young players. Like Abreu, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, and Luis Robert are getting their first taste of the postseason this year.

The White Sox clinched their first postseason berth in 12 years with more than a week left in the regular season, but they did themselves no favors and are heading into the series with Oakland with no momentum. They had a three-game lead in the AL Central with eight games remaining but lost seven of them to fall to third place in the division and the seventh seed in the AL.

Robert, who seemed poised to run away with AL Rookie of the Year honors through the first month of the season, hit just .136 with one home run in September. Jimenez missed the season-ending series with the Cubs after fouling a ball off his foot and may be limited to DH duties against Oakland. It’s a learning opportunity for Abreu and his young teammates, one Renteria says they have to figure out if they want to advance.

“If we don’t respond, we are out,” he said on Monday, according to MLB.com’s Scott Merkin. “You fight all year long to finally put yourself in position for the dance. Now you have to perform. If you don’t perform, there’s no tomorrow. There’s no redemption until next year. We have to try to get as far as we possibly can. Stay positive.”

Abreu has carried the team all season long, putting himself squarely in the MVP conversation along with Jose Ramirez of the Indians. He’s been a great player for so many years. If he continues to lead the White Sox deep into the postseason, everyone outside Chicago will finally take notice.