The Chicago White Sox is loaded with talent. They have superstars everywhere and most of them haven’t even reached their true potential yet which is scary for the rest of the American League. One of those outstanding young players is Luis Robert. He is a centerfielder that plays the position at an elite level and has an outstanding bat to go with it.
Unfortunately, Luis Robert’s 2021 season was met with some adversity. He went down with an injury in early May. The injury cost him most of the season as he only played in 68 games. He came back in August which was just in time to get himself ready for a White Sox postseason run.
The White Sox didn’t go very far in the playoffs once they got there but Robert was a big key to the season despite his minimal availability. Despite the few amount of games, he managed to accumulate a WAR of 3.6 which is absolutely incredible.
He slashed .338/.378/.567 for an OPS of .946. He hit 13 home runs, had 43 RBIs, and 42 runs scored. All of this goes with the aforementioned Gold Glove-caliber defense to form one of the most talented players that the Chicago White Sox have ever had.
He had a very unlucky injury early in the season which hurt badly but he came back as good as new. Anyone who was worried about him returning to be the same player should be relieved because he was amazing.
2021 Final Grade: A
Luis Robert gets an A. He would get an A+ if he was healthy for the whole season. The injury isn’t his fault by any means but staying healthy is something that needs to happen for Robert. His production, if averaged over 162 games, would have had him in the MVP conversation with Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Marcus Semien.
Luis Robert is the type of player that will basically get an A in every year of his prime because he is that good. He is a superstar already and people are just now starting to learn about him. If he stayed healthy in 2021, more people would know but that is going to change soon enough.
2022 Expectations:
2022 is going to be a huge season for Luis Robert. As long as he stays on the field, he should end up being the most valuable player on the Chicago White Sox. There are studs like Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson, and Eloy Jimenez amongst others protecting him in the lineup which helps but he is as good as anyone right now.
Shohei Ohtani is on another level in terms of his impact because of the pitching. Robert, however, is the type of hitter and defender that should have him amongst the best players in the game. Expect him to be mentioned with the likes of Ronald Acuna Jr., Juan Soto, and Fernando Tatis Jr. amongst many others for the best players in the game by the time 2022 is over.