No everyone, this is not a dream. The 19-year-old Cuban phenom is officially a member of the White Sox. Rick Hahn went out, identified his man, made it his number one priority, and did not disappoint. While the St. Louis Cardinals put up one hell of a fight, Robert and the White Sox were just too perfect of a match when it was all said and done. He will immediately become a top 3 prospect in the White Sox farm system, and potentially top 10 overall. So, now that he is officially a member of the White Sox, what next?
Sources: #WhiteSox closing in on Luis Robert. Deal expected to be more than $25M.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 20, 2017
Sources: Cuban OF Luis Robert has agreed to terms on a deal with Chicago White Sox worth slightly above $25M. Total outlay after tax: $45M+.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 20, 2017
Straight To The Minors
Luis Robert will be sent to the White Sox farm system as soon as possible. He should begin in High A ball, but it should not surprise anyone if he ends up in Double-A by the end of the year given his incredible tool set. It will be interesting to see how Robert adjusts to pitching overseas, but given his proven track history, it should not be too much of an issue.
Tool Breakdown
As many should know already, Luis Robert is a legitimate 5-tool player, boasting a mix of power and speed that many professionals could only dream of. How he stacks up against fellow cuban and now teammate Yoan Moncada should paint a solid picture.
Numbers never lie, so it is obvious why fans all around baseball have been keeping an eye on Robert for the past few months. The crazy thing is, Robert will gain even more power in his stroke as he gets older, but that should also figure in him losing half a step. No matter. Robert ran the 60 yard dash in 6.2 seconds, so even if he slows a bit, he should not see his speed tool drop lower than 65.
Reunited And It Feels So Good!
Speaking of Yoan Moncada, there is no way that he did not play a factor in Robert’s decision to come to the South Side. After all, they played together a few years back in the Cuba U-18 team.
Moving to a completely different country to play baseball at the highest level is probably a lot to handle for a 19-year-old kid. With Moncada already here, Robert knows he will have a friend on the team already. Add in Cuban veteran Jose Abreu, and Luis Robert should feel right at home when he gets called up to the White Sox.
So When Does He Get Called Up?!
Relax everyone, Robert will be on the South Side in due time. Like I said earlier, he should begin in High-A, but could very well see some time in Double-A this season. In 2018, we should see Robert start the year in Double-A, but should see about half of the year in Triple-A as well. If he plays well enough, he will more than likely get a September call up towards the end of the 2018 season. Then comes 2019. By then Robert should have seen enough professional pitching to compete for a spot on the White Sox roster. The front office could choose to keep him in Triple-A for a month or so just to be sure he is ready, but Robert should spend most of, if not all of 2019 on the White Sox at the ripe age of 21-years-old. That is the year that the White Sox should be ready to compete for a deep playoff run.
When it is all said and done, I see Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada being plugged into the no. 2 and 3 hole in the lineup, respectively. That gives the team a huge dosage of both power and speed at the top, and sluggers such as Jose Abreu, Zack Collins, and perhaps Seth Beer and/or Manny Machado manning the middle. In short, the White Sox offense has the chance to be one of the best in just a few short years.
Patience Is A Virtue
The rebuild is going to take another two years to come to full fruition, but the fans could not have asked for a better start. They have already completely revamped their farm system from just two trades and one signing, with more work to be done in the very near future. The White Sox have the no. 11 pick in this upcoming June’s draft, and a handful of assets to flip to other teams for more prospects. Add in the loaded free agency class after the 2018 MLB season, and the possibilities are endless. Today is a great day to be a fan of the White Sox.
The Cubs have their own dynamic duo in Bryzzo. The White Sox seem to have found their own in Robcada.
