Despite there being no minor league season in 2020, there were a significant number of White Sox prospects who made big strides. The White Sox had 12 players make their MLB debuts. Let’s take a look at how they fared, starting with the No. 1 prospect in our midseason rankings, Luis Robert.
Relevant stats: .233/.302/.436, 11 HR, 20 BB, 73 K, 9/11 SB in 227 PA across 56 regular season games
.308/.308/.538, 1 HR, 0 BB, 4 K in 13 PA in the playoffs
Robert was the highest profile rookie on the White Sox roster this year. He delivered with a number of jaw-dropping plays, but slumped horribly in September. He finished strong to show signs of life in the last several games. Seeing his ebbs and flows in a full rookie year would have been interesting to see play out.
Offensively, Robert hit .298/.348/.612 in 33 games through the end of August. He had 10 home runs and eight doubles and was making a living pounding mistakes. He did, however, have 41 strikeouts in 133 plate appearances (30.8%). While Robert did show some ability to get walks while pitchers tried to get him to chase (he had 10 in this span), plate discipline was an early red flag. It wasn’t a surprising red flag, but it was still there to see.
However, everyone was caught up noticing these plays (and how could you not?):
The list of incredible highlights for Robert was extensive early on, but they dried up in September. This home run on the third was the last he hit in the regular season.
From the start of September through the 23rd, Robert completely fell apart. He hit .086/.198/.129 and the home run above was his only extra base hit the entire month. A slump, even an extended one, is somewhat expected for a rookie. This was an especially tough one.
The question was why did Robert go from looking like a future franchise cornerstone to someone who couldn’t buy a hit for more than three weeks. Had pitchers adjusted to him? Were they getting him to chase more?
Robert’s walk rate went up (9 in 82 plate appearances during that stretch) along with his strikeout rate (36.6%). Perhaps the White Sox were trying to get him to be more patient and he became hesitant. Maybe this was Robert attempting to adjust on his own. It could also have just been a regular dip in a weird season. A look at his Statcast numbers (and simply watching games) clearly show pitchers loved going low and away to Robert to get him to chase. It mostly worked. That’s probably an easier fix for Robert.
However, a deeper look shows Robert struggled with inside strikes, which was the more concerning part about his slump. Robert was starting to miss hittable pitches.
The good news is that Robert showed positive signs in the final handful of games. He went 5-for-11 in three games against the Cubs to close the regular season. All the hits were singles, but he had a walk and just two strikeouts. He followed up with a 4-for-13 postseason, including this mammoth home run to score the first run in an elimination playoff game.
The six-game hitting streak to close 2020 will do a lot to ease the fears of White Sox fans who were starting to get anxious about Robert’s struggles. Robert isn’t going to win a batting title and strikeouts are going to remain a frequent part of his game. The question is can he take some walks (he showed decent progress for a rookie in this area) and hammer enough mistakes to make him the franchise cornerstone he still has the potential to be.
For all of the talk of his offensive game, his defense was very good. His range is as good as it gets in center field, although he had a weird habit of flubbing semi-tough plays near the wall. Robert led the majors in putouts (161) for outfielders and defensive metrics put him among the game’s best.
Overall, Robert’s rookie year was mostly as expected. No one expected him to set the world on fire like he did in August and no one thought he would slump horribly in September. On balance, Robert showed the strengths and weaknesses of his game. Robert’s power and defense at a premium position made him a valuable asset as a rookie. If 2020 is just the starting point and he improves as expected, Robert’s potential is still sky high.
Image credit Sean Williams, FutureSox
Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box on the right-side bar (or at the bottom on a mobile device) and click create subscription. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time. Also, consider supporting FutureSox on Patreon! You can get early access to special articles and Patreon-only posts, in addition to more benefits.
Shop our exclusive merchandise! Show your support with FutureSox apparel.