Just as impressive, perhaps, is the way Abreu carries himself. While Puig is known for flamboyance, Abreu is already considered a clubhouse leader. He worked diligently in spring training, eager to improve through technology and coaching but sticking with a routine honed over a decade in Cuba’s Serie Nacional.

Ventura said Abreu reminded him of his former Yankees teammate Hideki Matsui, in that they both care deeply about doing things the right way. Ventura, Hahn and others used the word professional to describe him.

“I thank them for their comments; it’s a source of pride for me, and I’m very glad that they feel that way,” Abreu said through an interpreter. “Once you put a lot of work into what you’re doing, it becomes a habit and it stays with you. That’s really what I want to do.”

Abreu played in Cuba with Puig but did not see him much in spring training. Though the White Sox share a complex with the Dodgers, Abreu said they spoke only briefly before a game. He has not spent time with other Cuban stars around the league, and said he enjoyed staying at home in Chicago. Abreu’s wife is in the United States, and his parents also left Cuba but are not here yet.

Ventura said he knew a bit about Abreu’s defection — “This is nothing compared to having to fight for your life on a boat,” he said — but Hahn said he did not believe there was cause for the kind of concern that stalked Puig, who received death threats last year from smugglers controlled by a Mexican drug cartel, according to an article last week in Los Angeles Magazine.

“All I’m going to tell you is it was difficult,” Abreu said of his ordeal. “But with God’s help, you’re able to do those things and feel good about them. It’s a difficult thing once you leave your country and do those things. It’s a difficult time in your life.”

The White Sox helped Abreu with his diet in spring training; he would typically skip breakfast and lunch, feel depleted after workouts, and then be famished at night and eat a big dinner.