1. Frank Thomas
This is the most obvious choice on this list. Frank Thomas ended his hall of fame career in 2008, a full 19 years after he debuted with the White Sox in 1990. With the White Sox, Thomas hit 448 home runs, had more walks than strikeouts, and slashed .307/.427/.568. He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest White Sox players of all time.
2. Paul Konerko
As it turns out, the list thins out pretty quickly after Frank Thomas. Paul Konerko was by no means a bad player, but his career 28.1 would figure to place him lower on this list. He’s up here for two reasons: the White Sox aren’t known for their excellent first basemen and he guided them to a World Series in 2005. Konerko was the everyday first baseman for the Sox for about 16 years, and in that stretch he smashed 432 home runs. Impressive.
3. Jose Abreu
As it turns out, the Sox’s current first baseman is also their third-greatest of all time. Abreu has a career 27.7 WAR which puts him right behind Konerko. 2022 is his 9th year with the Sox, and so far he has slashed .290/.350/.514 with 228 home runs. He could surpass Konerko for the second spot by next year.
4. Dick Allen
Dick Allen’s 3 year reign as the first baseman of the White Sox was greater than any other 3 year stretch that any White Sox first baseman has ever had. Allen is mainly remembers as a Phillies player, but in his 3 years with the White Sox he slashed .307/.398/.589 with 85 home runs, winning an MVP in the process. He did only play three seasons with the Sox, but they were among the best seasons in White Sox history.
5. Joe Kuhel
I almost did a double take when writing this name down. Frankly, it’s pathetic that Kuhel is the fifth greatest White Sox first baseman of all time but that’s the way it is, I guess. With the Sox, Kuhel had an 18.1 WAR. He slashed .261/.352/.397 with 75 home runs for a rather unimpressive reign with the Sox. But be that as it may, he still makes the list.
