Future star Robert ‘can make leaps and bounds’
SAN DIEGO — Most conversations at the winter meetings centered on possible additions from outside the White Sox organization.
The Sox are poised to gain a big bat from within next season in Luis Robert.
The center fielder is one of two Sox prospects, along with second baseman Nick Madrigal, expected to make an impact in 2020.
It’s unclear when Robert will join the major-league club. But there’s plenty of buzz surrounding one of the game’s top prospects.
“Beyond the video, I would like to see him this spring, because I think this is going to be a big spring for Luis,” Sox manager Rick Renteria said last week. “His skill set is obviously high-level. He can do a lot of things. I know that one of the biggest things that we were concerned about was keeping him on the field, getting the at-bats, playing in the field, doing baseball things.
“He is improving. He’s a young man that can make leaps and bounds. He … wants to prove to everybody what he’s capable of doing in the major leagues, but we’re looking at him in the spring and seeing where he is at.”
Robert starred with Class A WinstonSalem, Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte in 2019. In 122 games at the three levels, he hit .328 with 32 home runs and 92 RBIs. He also stole 36 bases, becoming the first Sox minor-leaguer since at least 1988 to join the 30-30 club.
Robert is the top-ranked prospect in the organization, according to MLB.com, and No. 3 overall.
Robert eventually will be part of an outfield that includes Eloy Jimenez, who hit 31 home runs as a rookie last season. The Sox had been in search of a right fielder this offseason, then landed Nomar Mazara on Tuesday in a trade with the Rangers.
General manager Rick Hahn understands the excitement surrounding Robert but wants to avoid thinking of him in terms of “the” new addition.
“We’ll look at him ultimately as a player playing a significant role on a championship-caliber team at some point,” Hahn said. “How quickly he gets to that point, we’ve got to give him the room to grow at his own pace. At age 22, that was his first full year playing in the States unrestricted. He made a tremendous impression on all of us — scouts and analysts throughout.
“But I don’t want to put on him, and frankly, I don’t even want to put on like a big free-agent signing like (Yasmani) Grandal, that expectation that this guy’s coming in to be the savior. It’s all parts of a championship club, all contributing in various ways that complement each other and get us where we want.”
Extending beyond Robert, Renteria is embracing the heightened expectations for the team.
“Someone was asking me, ‘How do you feel if you set them too high and all of a sudden things fall apart?’ ” Renteria said. “People, have expectations. Have them on me. Have them on our team. Have them on everyone. The whole point of professional sports is to win.”