Luis Robert Jr. has seemed like a staple of the White Sox for a long time now, having debuted back in 2020. However, he wasn’t able to have a full, healthy season in any of his first three campaigns. He avoided the injured list in 2020, but played only 56 games that year due to the schedule being shortened by the pandemic to just 60 contests. He would then miss significant time due to a right hip flexor strain in 2021, getting into just 68 games that year. That was followed by a 98-game season last year, with IL trips due to COVID-19, blurred vision and a wrist sprain.
By the end of 2022, he had certainly been able to showcase his talent. He came into this year with 36 home runs in 222 games and a batting line of .289/.334/.474, which translated to a wRC+ of 122, indicating he was 22% better than league average in that time. He had also stolen 26 bases and been given strong grades for his center field defense. FanGraphs calculated him as being worth 6.7 wins above replacement in that time, a strong tally on a per-game basis but a limited output in terms of volume.
The 2023 campaign has finally allowed us to see what Robert can do over a full, healthy season. He dealt with some quad cramping over the weekend and is still out of the lineup today, but hasn’t been placed on the injured list at any point this year. He’s appeared in 128 games with almost a month still remaining on the schedule. His 5.3% walk rate and 28.4% strikeout rate are both worse than league average, but he’s doing significant damage when he connects, with 35 home runs and 33 doubles. His .272/.324/.560 batting line amounts to a 135 wRC+.
Defensively, Robert has continued to shine as well. He as 7 Defensive Runs Saved this year, a figure bested by just five center fielders around the league. Outs Above Average is even more enthused, with Robert’s tally of 12 in that category tops at his position, tied with Brenton Doyle of the Rockies. Robert also has 17 steals in 21 tries, helping him put up 5.2 fWAR on the year already. If it weren’t for the amazing two-way exploits of Shohei Ohtani, Robert would be in the American League Most Valuable Player conversation alongside players like Corey Seager, Julio Rodríguez and Bobby Witt.
It’s been a dismal season for the White Sox overall, with the club sporting a record of 53-84. Those poor results promoted a deadline selloff, with players like Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn and others getting sent out of town for prospects. That was followed by a front office shakeup that saw both president Ken Williams and general manager Rick Hahn relieved of their duties last month.
But the shining star of Robert has been a bright spot in the otherwise-gloomy season and perhaps a key reason why the club is hopeful of a quick return to contention. Assistant general manager Chris Getz was recently promoted to general manager, with owner Jerry Reinsdorf saying that part of the reason for staying in-house was that Getz is already familiar with the organization and will perhaps be able to deliver a quick turnaround, as opposed to an outsider who might take time before making bold moves.
Though the Sox sold some players at the deadline, they were mostly limited to those nearing free agency, holding onto more controllable pieces like Robert, Dylan Cease, Eloy Jiménez and Andrew Vaughn. There are still plenty of holes to fill on the roster and it will be a challenge to patch them all in one winter, but the club has a couple of things in its favor. One of them is the incredibly weak division, where the 66-71 Guardians are still in the playoff hunt in September this year, meaning the path back to contention isn’t quite as steep as it would be elsewhere. The second thing is that core of solid players, headlined by Robert.
Robert has two more guaranteed years on his contract, followed by a pair of $20MM club options that each come with $2MM buyouts. Those look bargains right now and will certainly be triggered, even if Robert were to drop back slightly from his MVP-caliber performance.
That puts something of a long-term target in front of the Sox, who should be able to bank on Robert being on the team through 2027 at least. Jiménez and Vaughn can be controlled through 2026 and Cease through 2025. That gives them at least two more years with that core four, three years with the Robert-Jiménez-Vaughn triumvirate and another year of Robert after that. Time will tell whether or not they can build on that in the years to come, but Robert has shown that they have a strong foundation to work with.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Great player, but don’t love his attitude, that clubhouse needs some strong veteran leadership.
I hear you, but at least he was honest about it. Ideally he would take more of a leadership role with the club moving forward, but some guys just aren’t comfortable in that role or lack the necessary personality or skills to do so. The White Sox obviously seem to be lacking team leadership, and because Robert is now the face of their team there’s going to be pressure on him to step up and become a leader, and he may or may not be up to that task. We’ll see.
What seems to be the issue? Is he just a shy, low-key guy and not much of a vocal captain-type? Is he a loner & keeps to himself? Perhaps he despises baseball even though he’s tremendously talented at it. Someone like Vlad Guerrero comes to mind.
Bobby Witt, AL MVP! The fevered dream of a mad man.
case: Not really a dream. Mad man, I can’t say. If not for Ohtani, I would pick Witt. He just keeps getting better every year and, with the kind of seasons he’s had, that’s saying a lot.
Not seager or Tucker or heck even Cole
he has a .315 obp. he needs to get even better
The Orioles should consider trading for him. They need a true CF. Mateo just isn’t cutting it out there for what his offense brings to the table. They have the prospects to make it work. Their GM is good but he doesn’t go for it. He’d do the wait and see approach. Orioles have tons of holes. No starting pitching, no CF, mediocre 1st baseman, relief staff needed a bit of work outside of Cano and Bautista. I just don’t get it. I’ll take a championship and be mediorce for the next 5 years over throwing out an above average team without a championship to show for the next 7 years
Oh man this comment is a mess. Elias’s strategy is working out just fine lol. Mateo isn’t the center fielder, Mullins is, and he’s above average. They have a plethora of outfield prospects banging down the door. Any team would be lucky to have a guy with production like Robert, but the Orioles do not need another outfielder.
Every comment he posts is a rambling mess. I think he’s off his meds.
You’ve never watched the orioles play baseball and this is the last comment you should ever make about the team.
LFGMets: What’s wrong with Mullins in CF? If the Orioles have so many holes, why do they have the best record in the “AL”?
Isn’t cedric the center and Isn’t he good? Mountcastle is a better first than the o’s fans deserve. Everyone of u hate on him like u haven’t been total ass for like 2 decades. Take a good player when u can get one. O’s fans go from being homeless bums to the rich and snobby in record time. U guys were terrible since the dawn of time but u get one year..it’s not even over and u forgot the guys that made the team what it has become. Terrible
If you read his username, looks like he’s a Mets fan, so cool your jets brother.
If you read his posts about the Mets, you might change your mind
@Yoyosoxsox Mountcastle is really a DH
He is amazing. Wonder what he could do playing for a real team.
roob: He will in 2026. No way Reinsdorf will pick up a $20m option on a player who deserves it.
Sell The Team Jerry
Robert finally has an almost full season when the Sox arent in a playoff run.
And they still didnt trade him. Oh Jerry.
Robert is the only player on the Sox possibly worth keeping, but this team is so bad that everyone else has to be traded in order to get more talented players into the farm system. I foresee a lot of non roster invitees to Sox spring training and one of the three worst teams in MLB next year. There is no quick fix here, regardless what JR wants or thinks.
Robert has had better plate-discipline this year, but he still sucks at it, and if Jimenez keeps hitting grounders, then he is virtually useless. The coaching staff has had a whole season to work on these issues, and the results are nil. Draw your own conclusions.
You can tell by Roberts appearance on the field that he appears to be a low level or quiet attitude. Nothing wrong with that! He is improving in the field an st bat. Do not trade him!
Robert is great, but does anyone think the “triumvirate” of him, Jimenez and Vaughan are going to take over the universe? White Sox definitely need a full rebuild.
I love how Robert, Eloy, Moncada and Vaughn names keep getting thrown around as a “core” the only good player is Robert. Eloy, Moncada and Vaughn are average players at best and Eloy can’t stay healthy and he’s only getting older. The White Sox are going to be horrendous for the next few years and there is no way around it. It’s funny because the owner wants to get to “contention” as fast as possible; they won’t. And the fastest way would be a full rebuild, not patching holes in a terrible lineup with B and C class free agents, or worse minor league free agents that make their way into the roster like they have been doing for eternity.
There are two true indicators of how good your hitters and pitchers are; those are walks and strikeouts. The White Sox rank near the bottom in both (pitching and hitting) and their minor leagues are the worst in organized baseball. This team needs a full tear down, a new name, logo and mascot and possibly move to another city to see better days.
Move them to Nashville and sell them to a local owner with plenty of $$$. Leave Getz in Chicago looking for employment along with his dawg, Grifol. Send Robert to the Yanks for some of their prospects or the Orioles. Dump Cease for whatever you can get. Draft pitching and pray that the broken TJ’ed minor league pitcher we traded Burger for can keep his ERA below 5.00. The pitcher we got from the Angels is a minor leaguer for life (why get a pitcher from an organization lacking in quality pitchers after Ohtani). and under Getz he will prove it Change the team name from White Sox. Get Theo Epstein to run the club and watch it win……..
I also bet the stadium security will be able to see the pistol through the folds of fat with up to date equipment in a neighborhood where killings are NOT a common occurrence……..
Chicago belongs to the Cubs. Always have and always will….Go to a safer city that will fall in love with the team and all its flaws………
Vaughn is a disappointment. They sold the wrong infielder. Thankfully this article didn’t hype Yoan.
There is nothing in here about a transaction. It even says that Robert will remain in Chicago likely for several more seasons. This has no relevance to MLBTR. It’s just another weak attempt at statistical analysis, something that Fangraphs and many other sites do much better than this basic regurgitation of stats from a Baseball Reference page. Stop trying to be something you’re not, MLBTR.
Regardless of rebuild nor retool. They will probably keep Beni, Vaughn, Robert. They are all under contract thru 2027. So there is time to build a “new core” via rebuild nor retool. Luis Robert had a great season despite the white Sox being terrible. There is no better option at CF than him.