The MVP chatter has already begun for Luis Robert.
Not for this year, of course, because Robert has played in only 64 games due to a torn hip flexor suffered on May 2, but because of the numbers the White Sox’ prized 24-year-old center fielder has amassed in those games. Over a 162 game season, Robert’s numbers in the first 120 games of his brief two-year career translate to a .298/.349./516 hitting line, 31 homers, 40 doubles and 97 RBI.
Couple that with the rangy, fluid defense the 2020 Gold Glove winner displayed both as a rookie and this season and process the adjustments he’s made offensively and you begin to see a potential MVP package blossoming in front of your eyes.
In 2021, Robert ranks seventh on the White Sox with a 3.2 wins above replacement per Baseball Reference, quite remarkable considering the limited games played. Even more noteworthy is what Robert has done since getting back on the field Aug. 9, producing a .367/.403/.645 slash line with 11 homers, 13 doubles, 33 RBI and 29 runs scored in 39 games.
That’s a nice roll on which to be heading into the postseason.
“There are times which make me feel like you can do everything on the field, and you can dominate,” Robert said through translator Billy Russo after after hitting home runs that traveled 415 feet to center and 445 majestic feet to left in the Sox’ 7-1 win over the Reds Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. “But there are other times where things look harder for you. It’s just baseball. Sometimes you can do things very easily and then sometimes you can’t find a way to make things happen. You have to deal with it. I’m glad that this year, the results have been there for me and I’ve been consistent with those results.”
It’s not only the results that make Robert stand apart on so many levels, though. His size (6-3 1/2 , 225 pounds per Sox strength and conditioning coordinator Allen Thomas), sleek and muscular body frame — teammates have called him an Under Armour mannequin lookalike — and exceptional talent that makes him so easy on the eyes. Baseball is not an easy game, but Robert is playing it and winning with seemingly effortless proficiency.
And if it’s modesty you like, hear manager Tony La Russa on Robert: “Even around the clubhouse, he never walks around like a ‘dig me’ kind of player. If you look at the great ones, like [Derek] Jeter and guys like that, they have their feet firmly planted. Their ego doesn’t overwhelm them. They have talent and play to their talent. He’s just trying to do, trying to win a game, catch a ball, make a throw or hit.
“He’s got his ego in check, and it’s very important. It gives him a chance to be very good for a long time.”
Robert is getting it done with an aggressive approach in the strike zone, swinging early as long as he sees something to his liking, but the aggressive wanes when it comes to stealing bases (he was five for six going into the Wednesday’s game against the Reds), but La Russa is reeling him in, in part because the hip injury is still too close in the past for total comfort and mainly because he wants to keep legs healthy and fresh going into a postseason that is already clinched.
Robert is fast, but “we have to be careful with turning him loose,” La Russa said.
Maybe next year, when he might be putting together that MVP portfolio. His numbers this year, a .349/.387/.579 hitting line with a .956 OPS, 12 homers and 41 RBI over 227 plate appearances, may offer a hint of what’s next.
“He’s playing to his huge talent and he’s producing huge, he plays defense huge,” La Russa said. “You understand how much we missed him and Eloy [Jimenez, torn pectoral muscle] in the first half. Can’t give our club enough credit for hanging in there. Having those two guys back, it’s a different looking team.”
