Topps Chrome is a flagship set for collectors. It comes again in 2021 and it gets more expensive. The price of a hobby pack is much higher than I expected. So, I just bought some packs of the 2021 Topps Chrome this year. A Luis Robert All-Star rookie card looks pretty good to me. The White Sox signed Luis Robert in 2017 and he made his MLB debut last season. In the shortened season, Luis Robert slashed .233/.302/.436 with 11 home runs, 31 RBI and 9 stolen bases. He was considered a strong candidate for the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year award. However, he hit the rookie wall and he was batting .136/.237/.173 with 1 home run and 7 RBI last September. The September slump caused a huge loss since he finished second in the 2020 Rookie of the Year voting. However, he did win the 2020 AL Gold Glove award. This season, due to injuries, Luis Robert only played 68 games. He slashed .338/.378/.567 with 13 home runs, 43 RBI and 6 stolen bases. Looking at Robert’s performance in his first two seasons in the majors. There is something worth noting.
Luis Robert played 12 more games this season than he did last season. He collected 46 more hits in 2021 than he did in 2021. It seems that he has become more productive this season. Moreover, the number of strikeouts dropped from 73 to 61 this season. But, he drew fewer walks than he did last season. Furthermore, his batting average and OPS both went up significantly this season. Now, let’s look at his performance against different types of pitches.
Against fastballs, Luis Robert was hitting .202 last season, but this season, he’s very good at hitting fastballs with a .386 batting average. Additionally, he posted a .290 BA against breaking pitches and his batting average against offspeed pitches increased from .231 to .292.
Moreover, Luis Robert owned an over .400 xwOBA against fastballs and offspeed pitches. There’s no doubt that he can make quality contact and his good performance during the regular season wasn’t a surprise. Nonetheless, his xwOBA against breaking pitches dropped a bit this year. It’s going to be interesting to see his performance against breaking pitches next season.
Finally, Luis Robert had an OPS+ of 155 and his wRC+ went up to 157 this season. What does that mean? Well, Ronald Acuna Jr. played 82 games this season and he slashed .283/.394/.596 with 24 home runs and 52 RBI. Acuna Jr.’s wRC+ is .157 as well. Additionally, Fernando Tatis Jr. finished the 2021 season with a .282/.364/.611 slash line. Also, Tatis Jr. crushed 42 home runs and 97 RBI this season. In this season, Tatis Jr.’s wRC+ is 156.
At age 24, Luis Robert has shown that he can be one of the elite hitters in the majors. However, injuries did limit his performance during the regular season. But, as Ronald Acuna Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. each became an All-Star this season. It’s highly possible to see Luis Robert become an All-Star soon. Luis Robert signed a 6-year deal with the White Sox in 2020 and it indicates that the White Sox are highly confident in his future.
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