Cuban Luis Robert nears majors
By Jack McKessy
Luis Robert hopes to become the next man up in the White Sox organization, joining a major league club that has had a history of success with its Cuban players.
Chicago has reaped the benefits of having former Cuban White Sox players, beginning with the legendary Minnie Miñoso. In recent years, Cuban stars have helped young Cubans settle in to the Major League Baseball by relating their own experiences in the transition.
The 2005 White Sox won the World Series with stellar Cuban pitchers José Contreras and Orlando “El Duque” Hernández. Then in 2014, the Sox became the first MLB team in 45 years to include four Cuban natives in their starting lineup: José Abreu, Alexei Ramírez, Dayán Viciedo and Adrián Nieto.
That history helped Robert (pronounced row-BEAR) decide that the White Sox could be a part of his future.
“When my agent told me the White Sox were interested in me, I told him, ‘yes,’” Robert said. “They’ve had a lot of Cubans go through there. They have several Cubans there that I’ve known since Cuba, and that’s why I felt more comfortable there.”
Robert, a 21-year-old outfielder, is already considered the best prospect in the White Sox’s farm system and the fifth best prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline’s prospects ranking.
Various scouts have described Robert as a five-tool player with exceptional power and speed. Several injuries limited the young Cuban to 50 games last season.
One year later, Robert seems to have come into his own.
He started the season with the Class A Winston-Salem Dash. It took him less than a month to earn a promotion to Class AA. Two months after that, the Sox announced he would join the Class AAA Charlotte Knights after participating in the All-Star Futures Game.
Since the most recent promotion, he has shown no signs of slowing down. In his first game with Charlotte, he went 3-for-5 with two home runs and seven RBI, bringing his home run and RBI totals to 18 and 60, respectively, on the year. Within the 10 days since, Robert recorded a second multi-home run game.
With Robert’s sustained high-level of success, he’s drawn some comparisons to other Latino players who have already starred in the majors, specifically Yoenis Céspedes and Ronald Acuña Jr. It’s high praise, but the young outfielder refuses to let any of it go to his head.
“I simply don’t pay attention to those comparisons. That takes your mind away from baseball. As always, I’ll try to do my job,” Robert said.
Continued success on the field is only one side of Robert’s journey to the majors. Like many MLB hopefuls before him, the phenom has faced bumps along the way.
“It was very difficult to adapt off the field,” he said. “Last year, I got here and I didn’t have a house. My uncle was here. We had to be from hotel to hotel wherever I went.”
His lack of a home was only one of the obstacles he has overcome.
Though he can understand a lot of what his English-speaking teammates say, Robert’s own vocabulary in the language is limited.
Fortunately for him, he has an interpreter to help him communicate with teammates. He’s had a couple of people to look up to along the way.
Abreu told Robert his best advice was to work hard and stay focused.
“What happens off the field is nonsense. What I need to do is play baseball,” said Robert, recalling Abreu’s advice.
Abreu hasn’t been the only person Robert has looked to for guidance. Robert’s biggest mentor has been his uncle.
“My uncle has been here since I got here in the United States and in the Dominican,” Robert said. “He has always been with me at my side, always giving me advice to stay on the right side.”
With all of the success Robert has had despite adversity, the advice from his uncle and Abreu seems to have worked well.
Now, only two years after Robert signed his minor league contract, he’s made it to the doorstep of the major leagues.
Featured Image: Norm Hall / Getty Images Sport