CHICAGO -- Luis Robert Jr. is a bit confused by the particulars as far as his 2025 offensive production is concerned.
The White Sox’s five-tool-talent center fielder has the highest walk rate of his career and the lowest chase rate, according to Statcast, albeit through 29 games, following a 7-2 loss to the Brewers Tuesday night before a crowd including 1,246 dogs at Rate Field. But his production is not where it would be expected for the former All-Star, who is hitting .158 with a .588 OPS.
Robert’s explanation for the discrepancy is mistakes, as in not taking advantage of the mistakes from the opposing hurlers.
“If I’m getting walks, I’m not swinging at pitches that are out of the strike zone, right? Then why is my offense not producing? Why am I not hitting the way that I can?” said Robert through interpreter Billy Russo. “I think it’s because I’ve been missing their mistakes.
“That’s the only explanation I can find right now. Once I start punishing those pitches, my offense is going to be good.”
After Andrew Benintendi went deep off Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta in the first inning Tuesday, Robert followed with the first back-to-back blasts for the White Sox this season, marking his fourth home run and the 92nd of his career. He sits 28th all time in that category for the White Sox, trailing his friends Yoán Moncada by one and Eloy Jiménez by two.
Robert finished 1-for-3 with a walk and his 11th stolen base, which is tops in the American League. His running shows Robert is feeling good, which was an essential component for the White Sox during the cold days of April with a player who has battled numerous injuries in the past.
“For us going into the season, it was really navigating April, keeping him on the field, knowing that as the weather warms up there was going to be more production in there,” said White Sox general manager Chris Getz of Robert. “It's safe to assume that's likely to happen.
“I know he gets frustrated at times and we do as well, wanting him to come through in big moments. But he has come through plenty of moments this year for us. We still have faith in Luis and we know that Luis is doing everything he can to be more productive. We feel like it's about to turn and hopefully here it warms up and we can continue to see more positives from Luis."
Getz pointed to some mechanical things that can happen for Robert to be a little more consistent offensively, adding that he’s also being pitched very tough.
“There's no question about that, but he's Luis Robert and he's used to that based on the production he's had at this level,” Getz said. “It's really about [wanting] to support him. We want to surround him with the best hitters we can. We feel like we're going to be able to do that in the near future and we feel like we're going to reap the rewards."
More productive White Sox hitters surrounding Robert could come from numerous upcoming injury returns or eventually from the Minor Leagues. In the interim, Robert wants to stick with his approach and make better contact against the opposing hurlers’ miscues.
“Of course this is just a month into the season. We have to pass this month and then focus on the next month, or at least that’s my goal,” Robert said. “The pitchers have been doing a very good job attacking the strike zone, putting their pitches on the edges of the strike zone. They are locating the pitches. I’ve been missing their mistakes, too.
“You can’t miss their mistakes, especially not at this level. That’s when you have to make them pay. But again, it’s just a work in progress. I’m getting closer. It’s just a matter of keep working and keep doing what I know I can do and get the results at the end.”