Chicago White Sox: 5 reasons they will beat the Houston Astros

2. Luis Robert is on fire

Luis Robert is slowly becoming one of the best players on the Chicago White Sox.

Luis Robert is laser-focused on smashing baseballs. The exit velocity on an abundance of the balls he has hit in the last four to six weeks is staggering in its consistency and speed. As he has become more selective in pitches he swings at, he has shifted from potential super star to superstar in the making. If I was the manager of the White Sox I would have Robert batting third and Abreu batting cleanup.

I fully expect this to be a possibility in 2022. However, seeing as how it has not happened during the 2021 regular season, it is highly unlikely to start in the playoffs. What could happen though, is that Luis Robert’s hitting could very well outshine the hitting of every other White Sox hitter in this playoff series, including both Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu.

This could happen even if both Anderson, Abreu, and others have a very good series. For example, I also believe the left-handed Gavin Sheets has a great shot to be one of the many post-season heroes that have come out of nowhere.

Tony LaRussa described Sheets as a hungry hitter. He should be at his hungriest in the playoffs and the rest of the White Sox hitters should be feeling just as hungry as their teammate. The importance of the White Sox lineup peaking at this point is especially heightened for this reason.

The Astros pitchers are talented but not unhittable as compared to say Carlos Rodon when he is in top form. More than a few White Sox hitters should have their moments of glory in this series. However, Luis Robert facing off against the Astros pitching staff is sure to be some of the most entertaining matchups in the entirety of these MLB playoffs.