Chicago White Sox: Luis Robert’s grade reflects amazing year
Luis Robert was so amazing for the Chicago White Sox in 2020.
It was an amazing day when the Chicago White Sox announced that they won the Luis Robert sweepstakes. Long before he was ready to make the jump to Major League Baseball, they had him locked in. He was a supremely talented teenager that was clearly on pace to become someone who would be a fantastic big leaguer. Now that we are in 2020, the White Sox are so lucky to have him in their lineup. He made his debut during this past season and it was awesome to watch.
Robert had a scorching start for the Sox in 2020. He was literally one of the best players in the world for the entire month of August when play resumed from the COVID-19 pause. He was so brilliant that he won the Rookie of the Month for August and looked to be well on his way to a Rookie of the Year award.
September wasn’t quite as kind to him offensively as he had about a three week period where he slumped hard at the plate. It is something that happens to a lot of rookies and was nothing to be worried about. By the time the playoffs rolled around, he was back and feeling good again. In the playoffs, he was one of their best players yet again.
That slump did cause Robert to come in second for the AL Rookie of the Year instead of winning it but that is okay. He got to play in meaningful regular-season games and playoff games in his rookie year which will really help him as he moves along in his career.
In addition to his offense, he was an amazing defensive player as well. He plays centerfield which is a premier position defensively so the White Sox now has a guy who plays that at an elite level while being an amazing hitter as well. It is very rare to find someone who is an elite defensive centerfielder that is also an elite hitter. He won the AL centerfield Gold Glove for his efforts which is amazing for a first-year player.
Some teams sacrifice offense so that their centerfielder is sound defensively because of how important that is to the overall defense. A player like Robert reminds us of a certain centerfielder that plays for the Los Angeles Angels. Nobody is saying that Luis Robert will ever be as good as Mike Trout but he certainly is a five-tool player like him.
2020 grade: A
Despite the slump, Robert was one of Chicago’s best players. He played amazing in the month of August offensively and finished strong as well. His defense is as good as any centerfielder you can find which made him a Gold Glove winner in year one. He gets the A because of how well rounded of a player he was in year one. Despite the slump offensively, he was still an amazing hitter that helped the White Sox win a lot of games.
Hot. Three Minnesota Twins free agents for the White Sox to consider. light
2021 outlook:
Luis Robert has a chance to explode in 2021. A lot of teams would be satisfied with what they got in 2020 but the fact that Robert hasn’t even scratched the surface of his potential is scary. He legitimately could be one of the six or seven best players in the world if he keeps it up. Everyone should expect Robert to be amazing in 2021 and help the White Sox to a second straight playoff berth.