Robert Jr. compared to one of MLB’s best

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat e-newsletter. To learn the complete e-newsletter, click on right here. And subscribe to get it commonly in your inbox.

The star energy was off the charts Monday evening at Angel Stadium.

And on this occasion, I’m not even speaking about Shohei Ohtani, arguably the best participant on the planet. Let’s concentrate on the middle of the diamond.

Mike Trout was there for the Angels, the identical Trout vying for an eleventh All-Star look to go along with three American League MVPs and one AL Rookie of the Year award. Let’s not neglect his 367 profession dwelling runs, 205 stolen bases and .994 OPS. He has additionally been a top-notch defender, though Trout has but to win a Gold Glove.

Luis Robert Jr. stood because the center-field counterpart of the White Sox. Strangely sufficient, it was simply Monday morning on MLB Network when analyst Yonder Alonso referred to Robert Jr. because the “Cuban Mike Trout.” It may be a slight stretch for Robert Jr., however the uncooked skill-set is definitely there to match one of many all-time finest.

“It’s always good to see and follow players like Mike Trout, the kind of players that are one in a generation,” stated Robert Jr. by way of interpreter Billy Russo previous to Monday’s 2-1 loss. “It’s always good to compete against one of the best in the game. We are a different kind of players. I don’t think you can compare that.”

Robert Jr. has been on one other degree throughout May and June. His first-inning dwelling run Monday marked his twenty second this season and was his third homer in 4 at-bats. His protection has been Gold Glove-caliber, with 9 runs saved getting into Monday.

Of best significance to Robert Jr. is his 77 of 80 video games performed for the White Sox. He by no means reached 100 video games in any of his three earlier seasons, though he performed in 56 of 60 throughout the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 marketing campaign. Playing daily permits Robert Jr. to indicate off his full array of skills and even work by way of a tricky April on the plate.

Longevity of excellence may be the most important issue separating Robert Jr. from the sport’s true elite. For the report, Eloy Jiménez at SoxFest 2020 initially referred to Robert Jr. as the following Trout.

“I just told him I feel honored that he compared me with him, but he’s on a different level,” Robert Jr. stated. “If I’m able to keep playing for a very long time and sustain the level of success that I’m having now, then maybe at some point we can talk about that comparison. But in the meantime, I just have to keep working hard.”