Black MLB Players #20: Luis Robert
Background + Path To The MLB
Luis Robert is a twenty-three-year-old centerfielder from Guantanamo, Cuba who plays for the Chicago White Sox. He has been a professional baseball player since he was fifteen years old, playing for the Tigres de Ciego de Avila in the Cuban National Series(CNS) for four years before defecting and becoming an international free agent at the age of 18. He played for the Cuban national team in the 2015 18U Baseball World Cup, making the all-tournament team, and also played Can-Am League in 2016, representing his native country of Cuba. Robert’s elite performance in the CNS and in international tournaments for Cuba’s national team made him a must-have prospect, and MLB scouting departments went into a frenzy over him.
The Chicago White Sox signed him as an international free agent at the age of 18 after a massive bidding war for $26 million dollars, opting to pay an equal tax of $26 million dollars based on the rules for signing international free agents. Since Robert played professionally in Cuba, he could not be deemed an international amateur free agent, which inherently drove up the price it would take to sign him. The Chicago White Sox organization decided to make a $52 million dollar investment to acquire Luis Robert, who was viewed as the second-best international prospect behind two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani at the time. Because the rules and regulations for signing international free agents would become much stricter after the new Collective Bargaining Agreement took effect in 2017, the White Sox went all out. So far, it seems that the ridiculous investment has paid off.
In the seven years combined Luis Robert played in the CNS and the MiLB, he simply tore apart those leagues, showing the ability to be a superstar with the bat and the glove. He has the ability to do it all, hitting for a high average, getting on base at a reasonable clip, destroyed the ball for extra-base hits, can run the bases extremely well, and also is one of the best defensive centerfielders in whatever league he plays. Robert was a top 100 prospect every year he played in the minor leagues and was eventually seen as a top 5 prospect by every respected source and individual that covered minor league prospects in the realms of baseball journalism. He jumped through the six levels of the stateside minor leagues in two years, due to his prior experience in the CNS and his extreme athleticism and top-notch skill set. In 2019, Luis Robert put up 30 home run, 30 stolen base seasons across three levels in the minor leagues. He also led all of the MiLB in hits and was named to the 2019 MLB Rising Stars game during the 2019 All-Star Break.
Prior to the 2020 season, the Chicago White Sox signed Luis Robert to the largest contract ever given to a professional baseball player that has never played a game at the MLB level. The White Sox organization continued the pattern of giving early extensions to their top young players(Moncada, Jiménez, Anderson) as a sign of confidence in not only the players themselves but the player development group in place throughout the minor league affiliates. The contract is for six years, for a total of $50 million dollars, with two options that could drive the total cost up to $88 million dollars if they are picked up. During the 2020 season, Luis Robert showed flashes of talent at the MLB level that made the Chicago White Sox organization comfortable with investing over one hundred million dollars into him before he even put on a Chicago White Sox uniform. He placed second in voting for the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award behind Kyle Lewis and won the Gold Glove for centerfielders in the American League, which is given to the best defensive players at each position in the AL and the NL.
Player Profile
Luis Robert is 6'3'’, and weighs 225 pounds. He bats and throws right-handed, and plays centerfield full time. Luis Robert is a top-of-the-scale pro athlete, as he is a lot more similar to NFL wide receivers from a physical standpoint than your average pro baseball player. He ranks in the 96th percentile in Sprint Speed via Statcast and has a sixty grade throwing arm on the 20–80 scouting scale, which pans out as plus. He uses this elite athleticism to enhance every facet of his game, whether it be in the batter’s box, on the basepaths, or in the field on defense.
Luis Robert has a simple right-handed swing, and with his immense strength and physicality, he literally hits the damn snot out of the ball. A small swing change directed by the Chicago White Sox’s development group in the minor leagues unlocked his immense raw power and gave him the ability to consistently drive the ball in the air with authority, and it makes the White Sox’s a hundred million dollar investment look like a genius move. Luis Robert hit a 487 foot home run against the Oakland A’s, and it simply illustrates the massive offensive potential this guy has.
From a hitting standpoint, the only glaring flaw Luis Robert has is his extremely aggressive approach. Robert likes to swing the bat, and I completely understand, because if I could hit a ball damn near five hundred feet I’d be swinging for the fences all the time too. Luis Robert’s 2020 campaign was the first time he was challenged in his professional baseball career, and there is plenty of room for improvement. He must focus on making adjustments during plate appearances, and not trying to swing out of his shoes all of the time. His athleticism and simple swing allow for absurd bat speed, and if he can be more focused with his pitch selection and have a better approach in order to put up more competitive plate appearances, the sky is the limit.
From a baserunning standpoint, Luis Robert has the ability to steal thirty bags on an annual basis. He is a monster due to his elite athleticism and baseball instincts. He can provide an immense amount of value at the top of the White Sox lineup, being able to be extremely aggressive and score an absurd amount of runs. His top-of-the-scale speed also plays well on defense, where Luis Robert will provide an enormous amount of value as a full-time centerfielder, an extremely important defensive position. He already has one Gold Glove, and I expect him to win many, many more. His ridiculous sprint speed, instincts, and route reading makes him one of the best defensive outfielders in the MLB, and combined with his great throwing arm, you will probably see him on Sportscenter for a long time.
Conclusion
Luis Robert is one of the most talented individuals playing professional baseball right now, and he has the tools to be one of the best players in the game. In terms of Luis Robert’s absolute ceiling, we are talking Ken Griffey Jr.-esque levels of production offensively and defensively. Now while he may not, and probably will not be as good as Junior, he definitely reminds me a lot of Junior. He has a long way to go from an offensive standpoint, Robert will still provide an immense amount of value if he doesn’t reach his vaunted ceiling. I believe he will be an All-Star one day, and a household name. Luis Robert is very good at playing baseball, and his elite athleticism enhances his skillset. The videos I am embedding in this article will show you the reasons why a professional baseball organization throws a hundred million dollars at a person in their early 20s before they even step on an MLB field, and in my opinion, it was a great investment. Luis Robert has a tangible albeit small chance of being a once-in-a-generation centerfielder, and the possibility of that happening for MLB players is minuscule in itself.
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