Chicago White Sox: Luis Robert is MLB’s next superstar
There is no doubt that the Chicago White Sox rebuilding process was a massive success, but perhaps the franchise’s top future talent has yet to arrive.
When the Chicago White Sox missed out on the two big fish in 2019 free agency, many fans felt that the franchise was missing a major piece of the puzzle: a bonafide superstar. Indeed, the Sox were expecting to land at least one of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, and it is a fact that every championship-caliber team needs a superstar talent. However, the White Sox may already have one in Cuban Phenom Luis Robert.
Still only 21 years of age, Robert has absolutely flown through and dominated every level of minor league baseball. Starting in High A, Robert hit .453 with 8 home runs, 24 RBI’s, and 8 stolen bases in 75 at-bats. He was then promoted to AA Birmingham, where he batted .314 with 8 home runs, 29 RBI’s, and 21 stolen bases in 226 plate appearances. Finally reaching AAA just after the MLB All-Star Game, Robert is currently hitting .462 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI’s in just 13 at-bats and three games.
Luckily, 2019 has been a much healthier year for the Cuban phenom, and it has certainly shown. Before the start of the 2019 season, Robert was ranked the 40th overall prospect in baseball and the number 10 outfielder by MLB Pipeline. In the latest MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospect rankings, Robert ranked the 5th overall player and the number two outfielder.
His combination of size, speed, athleticism, strength, and hand-eye coordination give him all of the tools to be a legitimate superstar in Major League Baseball. A true five-tool guy, the only obstacle between him and terrorizing the big leagues is health.
The 6ft 3, 185lb outfielder has been known to struggle with injuries, evident in the fact that he missed a massive portion of 2018 with a thumb injury. In 2019, Robert has not had trouble with injuries, which is a trend that White Sox fans have to be excited about. Barring any other major unforeseen health issues, Robert is simply destined for stardom.
His game is so complete it appears to be too good to be true. Not very often can one find a center fielder capable of stealing bases at will, hitting over .300, and blasting thirty plus homers per season. The White Sox are confident that he is going to be able to do so in the near future, as evident in his $26 million signing bonus.
It is unclear when we will see Robert in the bigs, but it is unlikely to be this season, but rather in early 2020. However, the way Robert has been swinging the bat, it isn’t impossible that he makes an MLB appearance by the end of 2019.
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For White Sox fans who have been waiting so patiently for not only the rebuilding process to be over, but also for Rick Hahn to land a superstar player, Luis Robert is right around the corner and could truly be the saving grace for this Sox team. An outfield of Robert, Jimenez, and another big free agent would absolutely terrorize baseball in a few years.