The White Sox are a fun team to watch. They have a great young player by the name of Jose Abreu who can lead them above .500 along with getting Chris Sale back in the rotation to help. Abreu has raw talent and it is obvious he will not be another Chris Shelton who if you remember hit 16 homers in the first-half of 2006 and didn’t hit another one the rest of the year. Hitting one off of Clayton Kershaw after being back from the DL proves his talent.

Jose Abreu

There are areas of concern in his game. For instance, he strikes out 26 percent of the time and does not get on base enough. However, he makes up for that with his slugging ability and hits homers off of top pitchers in the game. He has plated 24% of his baserunners and only Cano and Cabrera have done better in the AL. Rather than focus on numbers, it’s better to enjoy his talent and watch his progress. He’s homered off of three Cy Young winners like Kershaw, Verlander, and Price. When we see more Abreu than we can pinpoint his weaknesses and what he needs to work on. He’s been great so far and is attracting a lot of attention for his ability and power. It’s exciting for White Sox fans who were used to seeing Franck Thomas go yard for years.

With Abreu producing like he has it is not out of the question that the Sox make a push for the playoffs. Cuba has gifted baseball another gem and as fans we should appreciate the talent and see if he is able to carry the Sox offensively into the playoffs.

The Houston Astros have promoted Jon Singleton from Oklahoma City and will join team after agreeing a five-year, $10 million guaranteed contract. Singleton’s contract includes three club-option years that could increase his payout to $30 million over eight years. When bonuses and awards are included, Singleton can earn a maximum of $35 million over the course of the deal. The deal runs from the 2014 through 2018 seasons. He will receive $1.5 million in total compensation this year, and salaries of $2 million in each of the next four seasons. The Astros have a $2.5 million option for 2019 with a $500,000 buyout. If that is exercised, the club has a $5 million option for 2020 with a $250,000 buyout. Houston also has a $13 million option for 2021 with a $250,000 buyout. The new deal replaces a one-year contract Singleton signed in February that called for a $500,000 salary while in the major leagues and $40,750 while in the minors.

Jon Singleton

Singleton is 22 years old and moved to Houston in 2011 in the Hunter Pence deal. He was hitting .267 in AAA with 14 home runs. He has struggles with marijuana and alcohol and has failed two drug tests in his career but the Astros have supported the youngster. Singleton joins George Springer in the big leagues  and is part of a huge crop of talented prospects in the Astros system. Singleton is an update on Guzman and Krauss who have been woeful at the plate with .181 batting average.