White Sox: Should Fans Expect David Robertson to Continue His Domination?
By Brian Draus
White Sox closer dominating early. Can the veteran closer maintain his dominance for the South Siders this season?
Considering the current stage of the Chicago White Sox rebuild, amassing a great deal of young talent is critical. One veteran who could greatly assist this process would be David Robertson, due to the incredible returns in recent memory closers have brought back at the trade deadline. Could Robertson do the same?
So far, Robertson is off to a scorching start this season. While he has only pitched in four games, his production is off the charts. Even though he went one inning each time out, two of his three outs were recorded via the strikeout. Hitters have been so over-matched that merely a pair of batters were able to put the ball in the air, not to mention one man reached base. To put the cherry on top, no one scored.
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The question now becomes will this continue? By looking at his prior two seasons yes, but with a catch. It seems as though Robertson is a better pitcher in the first half of the season, which can be seen by his ERA (2.45 to 4.73 in 2015 and 3.22 to 3.81 in 2016) and save percentage (82.6 percent to 83.3 percent in ’15 and 92 percent to 73.7 percent in ’16). When three out of four decrease in the second half, it signals a decline in performance as the season moves along.
Well, how does this impact the Sox if they attempt to move their All-Star caliber closer? It is a bit of a double-edged sword when you think about it. On the bright side, Robertson very easily could have fantastic numbers come the trade deadline. On the flip side, front offices around the league know he declines down the stretch, therefore some might be wary of dealing for him.
With all of that said, should the Sox expect a massive haul for him? Maybe a couple of good prospects, however wishing for an Aroldis Chapman-like return is unwise. One factor that could greatly influence if the Sox are able to bring back elite prospects will be the market, and who is on it. If Robertson is the top reliever out there come July, it is very much within the realm of possibility for the Sox to acquire high level minor league talent.
All in all, Robertson is one of the key Sox players to follow in 2017. In the case that he performs up to his capability, it is more than rational to believe he can greatly assist the rebuild. Whether he does or not is unknown, but keep in mind Robertson has a proven track record of closing out games in the major leagues.
Next: Dylan Covey Pitches Well in Debut
Will Robertson be a major trade asset this season? Time will tell, but he is certainly capable of being just that, Sox fans.