Fresh and clean: Jose Abreu returns to distraction-free preparation for White Sox

Jose Abreu spent at least 30 minutes Sunday morning hunched over in a chair at his locker with earbuds in place, wiping down bat after bat with cleaning solution and a sock.

When the White Sox first baseman finished with one, he stacked it upright with the other clean bats and moved on to the next.

It might not be a surprise to those who know of Abreu’s diligent work tendencies to learn that he is a neat freak. His whole family knows he likes a spotless house, and his cleanliness extends to his equipment, with the bat wiping a daily routine.

Some players don’t clean their bats much at all, preferring the broken-in look, but there are others who are famously meticulous, such as Ichiro Suzuki, who stores his bats in a moisture-controlled case. Abreu doesn’t go that far, but he does take his tools seriously.

“Those are my weapons, and I have to take care of them,” Abreu said through a team interpreter. “I like to have all of them clean and shiny. (Wiping them down) is a good way for me to think about my hitting process, and that’s a good way for me to be at peace with them too, because they are mine, and I need to take care of them.”

Abreu is glad to be back focusing on his bat after a disruption earlier in camp.

He left camp for three days to testify in the federal trial of his former agent, Bartolo Hernandez, and his former trainer and friend, Julio Estrada. The two were convicted last week on charges of smuggling Cuban baseball players into the United States for profit. They face jail time and the forfeiture of millions of dollars in cash and property.

Abreu said he never lost focus on his preparation, but he realizes that focus can now come easier. Sox manager Rick Renteria agreed that the situation is now “in the past.”

“Of course there was a lot of different stuff happening in the beginning of the spring, but I’m glad all of those things are done because if I was focused before, I’m even more focused now,” Abreu said. “All of my mind is on my preparation and just trying to find a way to help this team win games and find a way to help this team be better. I’m glad because I’m doing what I’m supposed to do and I feel very honored that I had the support of these people through this whole process.”

Abreu has been working this spring to get off to a better start than he did over a rough first two months in 2016. He has hit .233 with two doubles, a homer and eight RBIs in 15 games this spring.

Among the challenges for Abreu this season will be to accept spending some time at designated hitter when Renteria deems he needs a break. Abreu has made it well known he doesn’t like to be the DH, but he also said he will accept the role when necessary.

“It’s good for a mental break, but it’s also a challenge for me to be doing different stuff,” Abreu said. “(The coaches) are going to make the decision for us to be in a better spot to win games. That’s what I want, just to win games. I’m going to accept being the DH any day they ask me to be there because I know that they need me there for a reason.”

As for the Sox winning games, Abreu is of the belief that doesn’t think the Sox have to be bad this season just because of the offseason trades of Chris Sale and Adam Eaton. He and the other veterans are aware of the notion they could be traded by the deadline, but he prefers to focus on what’s happening now.

“We got a lot of talent in those trades, and I think we have the talent here at least to compete,” Abreu said. “That’s why I don’t think we are in rebuilding and I don’t like to think of it that way. The talent I see in the clubhouse, I think we can do something good, and that’s all we can ask, just to have an opportunity to compete.”