Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson hopes to succeed Jose Abreu as team leader: "I want to be just like him"
Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson misses his friend and former teammate Jose Abreu. He also hopes that he can be the kind of example and team leader that the first baseman, who left via free agency to the Houston Astros, was during his time on the south side of Chicago.
José Abreu may be in Houston now but the impact he made on the White Sox group he played with will last forever. @barstoolchicago https://t.co/H1nm686N6T
"I want to be just like him," - Tim Anderson on his former Chicago White Sox teammate Jose Abreu, via @Starting9
Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu were teammates in Chicago from 2016, when Anderson made his big-league debut, until this past season. Abreu, the 2020 American League MVP, signed a three-year, $58.5 million contract with the Astros after nine years of being the identity of the White Sox.
Twisting the knife for Anderson, Chicago plays Houston on Opening Day of the 2023 season.
"He just one of nine. He just one of nine. Going to be the same," Anderson told NBC Sports Chicago of playing against Abreu on Opening Day. "You know, we definitely going to miss him. But I'm not trying to spend all spring talking about Jose Abreu."
Abreu made his mark on the White Sox as the on- and off-field leader of the team and clubhouse. While Anderson will miss his friend, he understands why the 2014 AL Rookie of the Year moved on to play for the defending World Series champions.
"We love him. We're going to miss him. But, it's business," Anderson said on the White Sox Talk podcast. "And he went in fulfilled what he needed and excited for him, happy for him, text him. Still love him."
New White Sox manager Pedro Grifol knows that there's a leadership void in the absence of Abreu. However, he's not ready to immediately anoint Anderson as the leader apparent.
"Obviously, Abreu's not here and he was the leader last season," Grifol told NBC Sports Chicago. "Somebody's gonna step up here. That's what this is about. We lost a really good leader, but we're expected to gain two or three, maybe more in that clubhouse."
Can Tim Anderson replace Jose Abreu's leadership?
"The biggest punch we had was when TA [Tim Anderson] went down," White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal said on the White Sox Talk podcast. "Because he's our guy. That was a big punch in the gut."
Whether or not Anderson can be the leader that Abreu was, his impact on the White Sox is apparent to his teammates. When Anderson went down with a hand injury last season, it was a blow to the team.