Chicago White Sox To Sign Cuban Prospect Luis Robert
The Chicago White Sox had yet to make any noise in the international signing market this year. That ended in a big way this afternoon, as they inked highly touted Cuban player Luis Robert to a contract worth between $25 and $30 Million.
Luis Robert was in a race against time. Declared a free agent in April, he needed to sign a contract before June 15 in order to avoid falling under the new guidelines laid out by the most recent CBA. In fact, Robert could well be the last international free agent to truly cash in his top prospect status.
He has now done exactly that. According to Jon Heyman, the Chicago White Sox have inked the highly touted Cuban prospect to a contract worth somewhere between $25 to $30 Million. This signing continues the White Sox focus on the Cuban market, as they had previously signed Jose Abreu and traded for Yoan Moncada.
In Robert, the White Sox have signed a player considered to be the second best international player, trailing only Shohei Otani. The 19 year old outfielder is considered to have excellent bat speed and plenty of raw power, although there are questions about his ability to make contact, as well as his pull happy approach.
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According to that same Baseball America scouting report, those contact issues come from a tendency to chase certain pitches. Robert has a tendency to chase high fastballs, with even average velocity getting the best of him. However, as a 19 year old, there are going to be areas that need polish as he works his way through the minors.
It is, however, easy to see why Robert would be such a highly regarded talent. He also possesses solid speed, and is appears to be even faster than he showed during his time in Cuba. Likewise, he is expected to play center in the minors, and has a chance to remain at the position. As a center fielder with that type of power and speed potential, Robert is certainly the type of international prospect worth this type of investment.
Next: Anthony Alford scouting report
The last major international free agent is now off the board, as the Chicago White Sox are set to ink Luis Robert to a contract worth anywhere from $25 to $30 Million. He certainly managed to beat the clock.