Flashback: Luis Robert's 2019 Season

It didn’t take long for the Charlotte faithful to become fans of outfielder Luis Robert. With all eyes on the talented Cuban outfielder, his Triple-A debut last July was one for the ages. Now, at just 22 years old and a Triple-A season under his belt, Robert is giving fans on the South Side of Chicago big hope for a bright future.

It all started at BB&T Ballpark with a Triple-A debut that will be remembered for a very long time. After being promoted to the Charlotte Knights from Double-A Birmingham during the 2019 Triple-A All-Star Break on July 9, 2019, Robert made his much-anticipated debut in Uptown Charlotte on Thursday, July 11, 2019. That night, Robert posted an impressive line -- 3-for-5 with two runs scored, two home runs, and seven RBIs. One of his home runs that evening was a grand slam, which was his first career Triple-A hit. His solid offensive showing in front of the Uptown Charlotte crowd helped lead the Knights to a 15-12 win over the Gwinnett Stripers that night.

In 47 games with the Knights last year, Robert hit .297 (60-for-202) with 44 runs scored, 10 doubles, five triples, 16 home runs, 39 RBIs, and seven stolen bases. He had one four-hit game (8/13 vs. SWB) and 18 multi-hit games. He had three multi-homer games and 10 multi-RBI games.

Overall between three levels in 2019, he hit .328 (165-for-503) with 108 runs scored, 31 doubles, 11 triples, 32 home runs, 92 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases combined over 122 games with Winston-Salem (High-A), Birmingham (Double-A), and Charlotte (Triple-A). Robert finished the season as a member of the exclusive 30-30 club, swatting 32 home runs and stealing 36 bases.

MORE ON ROBERT'S 2019 SEASON
Robert entered the 2019 season as the fifth-best prospect in all of Major League Baseball by MLB Pipeline. He began the 2019 campaign with the Winston-Salem Dash (High-A) and hit .453 (34-for-75) with 21 runs scored, five doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 24 RBIs, and eight stolen bases over 19 games. He was promoted to Double-A Birmingham on April 30 and hit .314 (71-for-226) with 43 runs scored, 16 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 29 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases over 56 games with the Barons. He was a 2019 Southern League Mid-Season All-Star and represented the Chicago White Sox organization at the 2019 Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game in Cleveland, OH.

LOOKING AHEAD
Over the offseason, Robert and the White Sox agreed to a six-year, $50 million contract extension. The deal also included two $20 million team options (or $1 million buyouts) that could stretch through Robert'sage-29 season and push the total value of the deal to $88 million. Now, much like the rest of Major League Baseball, Robert is waiting for his chance to shine in 2020.