Player: Luis Robert
Position: Outfield
Height: 6’2 Weight: 210 Age: 22 Bats/Throws: R/R Current Level: MLB
MLB.com Rank: 1st in White Sox System (3rd in MLB)
Signed: 2017 by White Sox
Hometown: Guantanamo, Cuba
The White Sox gave Robert the second-largest bonus to an amateur ever at $26 million when they signed him back in 2017. His first first two seasons in the minors were hampered by knee, ankle and thumb injuries. But in 2019, Robert got a full-season of baseball in and also made some small swing changes. The results were incredible! Between High-A (19 games), Double-A (56 games) and Triple-A (47 games), Robert hit .328 with 32 homers and had 36 stolen bases! He was the first player since 1961 (Jose Cardenal) with a 30-30 season and over .300 batting average in a minor league season.
The White Sox gave him a six-year $50 million contract back in January, but with his speed and power combination that could be a steal. He’s already got the nickname “La Pantera” (The Panther) and he is expected to make his White Sox debut in 2020.
Scouting Grades
I mentioned earlier that Robert made some swing changes going into 2019; according to scouting notes from Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen, he changed to a narrower base, a little bit deeper load to the hands, and a front side that stays closed a little longer. Some pretty small changes, but his groundball rate dropped 18% from 2018 to 2019 allowing him to really create that big-time home-run power.
Robert is one of the best athletes you’ll see; he has tremendous speed and looks really good defensively. His arm is yet another plus tool that’ll further allow him to play anywhere in the White Sox outfield.
The area of Robert’s game that is a weakness is his plate discipline. He’s been known to chase a lot of breaking balls out of the zone. We’ll have to see if opposing pitchers start giving him a heavy dose of them and whether or not he can lay off. If he is unable to really change that approach, he may look similar to someone like Starling Marte. But if he can figure that part out, watch out! Robert has all the tools that make me and many White Sox fans really excited to see him arrive on the South Side!
Luis Robert Stats
