Luis Robert Moirán Jr. (born August 3, 1997) is a Cuban professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). After defecting from Cuba in 2016, Robert signed with the White Sox in 2017. He made his MLB debut in 2020. That year, he won the

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

. He was named an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

in 2023.

Professional career

Cuban National Series

Robert played in the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, or SNB) is a domestic baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the National Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. For most ...

for

Ciego de Ávila Ciego de Ávila () is a city in the central part of Cuba and the capital of Ciego de Ávila Province. The capital city has a population of about 156,322 and the province 430,507. Geography Ciego de Ávila lies on the Carretera Central highway a ...

from 2013 to 2015.

Minor leagues

In November 2016, Robert

defected In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...

from Cuba to pursue a

(MLB) career in the United States. On April 20, 2017, he was declared a free agent, but he was not eligible to sign with any major league club until May 20. On May 27, 2017, Robert signed a contract with the

that included a $26 million

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. After signing, he reported to the

DSL White Sox The Dominican Summer League White Sox or DSL White Sox are a rookie league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox based in the Dominican Republic. They play in the Boca Chica Baseball City division of the Dominican Summer League. History The team fir ...

and played 28 games there, posting a .310

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with three

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s, 14

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

(RBIs), 22 walks, and 12

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...

s. In 2018, Robert made his first start at outfield in a

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

game and hit a two-out, go-ahead

grand slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

in the eighth inning, lifting the White Sox to a 14–12 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. However, Robert was placed on the injured list for two months after the game, because he had sprained a ligament in his left thumb while sliding into second base. Robert began 2019 with the

Winston-Salem Dash The Winston-Salem Dash are a Minor League Baseball team in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They are a High-A team in the South Atlantic League and have been a farm team of the Chicago White Sox since 1997. The Dash began playing their home games ...

; he was promoted to the

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The Baron ...

on April 30. Robert was named to the 2019

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

. On July 11, he made his debut with the Class AAA

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, where he hit two home runs in his first game with seven RBIs. Robert joined the 30/30 club by hitting 30 home runs and stealing 36 bases during the 2019 season. In 2019, he scored 108 runs, the second most in the minor leagues, and he led the minors with 165 hits.

Major league career

Rookie season and Gold Glove Award (2020)

On January 2, 2020, Robert agreed to a six-year, $50 million contract with the

before appearing in a major league game. The contract includes team options for 2026 and 2027 which, if exercised, could bring the value of the contract to $88 million. On July 24, he made his MLB debut. He hit his first MLB home run on July 26. In August 2020, Robert batted .298/.356/.660, including seven doubles, nine home runs, 20 RBIs, and three stolen bases over 26 games. He won the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

(AL) Rookie of the Month Award, his first monthly award in the major leagues. Overall in 2020, he batted .233/.302/.436 over 202 at-bats. Robert hit his first postseason home run in Game 3 of the

Wild Card Series The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason. A single wild card game was instituted in 2012. This became a best ...

against the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

off of

Mike Fiers Michael Bruce Fiers (; born June 15, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and Oakland Athletics. Fiers has pitched two no-h ...

. His 487-foot home run was the longest postseason home run in White Sox history. He also won the

for center field, becoming the second White Sox player in history to win the award in his rookie season. Robert also finished second in balloting for the AL Rookie of the Year Award, losing to

Kyle Lewis Kyle Alexander Lewis (born July 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to his MLB debut, he ...

of the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

2021

Robert

slashed Ash are a Northern Irish rock band formed in Downpatrick, County Down in 1992 by vocalist and guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray. As a three-piece, they released mini-album '' Trailer'' in 1994 and full-lengt ...

.316/.359/.461 in 25 games through May 2, when he suffered a complete tear of his right

hip flexor In anatomy, flexor is a muscle that contracts to perform flexion (from the Latin verb ''flectere'', to bend), a movement that decreases the angle between the bones converging at a joint. For example, one's elbow joint flexes when one brings thei ...

. The injury required a rehabilitation period of three to four months before he could resume baseball activities. On May 27, he was placed on the 60-day injured list. He was activated off the

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

on August 9. Overall, Robert hit .338 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs in 68 games in 2021.

2022

On July 14, 2022, in a game against the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

Target Field Target Field is a baseball stadium in the North Loop, Minneapolis, historic warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis. Since its opening in 2010, the stadium has been the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins. It is named for Tar ...

, Robert hit his first career grand slam off of starting pitcher

Sonny Gray Sonny Douglas Gray (born November 7, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, and ...

. On September 24, Robert was placed on the IL with a sprained left wrist which ended his season after getting hit by a pitch against the

. In 2022, Robert appeared in 98 games, batting .284/.319/.426 with 12 home runs and 56 RBIs.

2023

On February 17, 2023, Robert announced that he would utilize the "Jr." suffix in his name from then on, which would also be reflected on his uniform. During a game against the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

on April 29, Robert was benched after not hustling to first base after hitting a ground ball to the third-base side of the mound. Robert stated after the game that the lack of hustle was due his legs being tired and having a tight right hamstring. Robert also said that he did not tell anybody about his alleged pain, including the manager, so that he would be able to play in the game. Robert won the American League Player of the Week Award on June 26 after he batted .444 with a 1.111

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...

in the previous six games. Robert was named to his first ever

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

. Robert also announced he was going to be participating in the

2023 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby The 2023 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby was a home run hitting contest between eight batters from Major League Baseball (MLB). The derby was held on July 10, 2023, at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, the site of the 2023 MLB All-Star Game. The e ...

. Robert advanced to the semi-finals where he eventually lost to

Randy Arozarena Randy Lia Arozarena González (born February 28, 1995) is a Cuban-born Mexican professional baseball outfielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay R ...

. Robert announced he wouldn't be participating in the All-Star Game due to tightness in his right calf he suffered from the Home Run Derby. Overall, in his All-Star season, Robert finished with a slash line of .264/.315/.542 in 145 games with 38 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases, earning him a

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best Batting (baseball), offensive player at each Baseball positions, position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (baseball), National League (NL), as determ ...

and finishing 12th in MVP voting.

2024

On April 5, 2024, in a game against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

, Robert suffered a Grade 2 flexor strain in his right hip while rounding first base in the ninth inning. He was then placed on the 10-day

the next day and had to miss about two months. The White Sox activated Robert from the IL on June 4 and made his return the same day against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...

. In his return, he went 2-for-4 with a 448-foot home run to left field off of pitcher Hayden Wesneski. In 100 games for the White Sox in 2024, Robert batted .224/.278/.379 with 14 home runs, 23 stolen bases, and 35 RBIs.

2025

On May 2, 2025, Robert hammers a solo home run to right-center field for the 500th hit of his career, putting the White Sox up 3-1 in the bottom of the 5th inning against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

International career

Before his defection, Robert represented the

Cuban national team Cuban or Cubans may refer to: Related to Cuba * of or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban Americ ...

in international youth competition, including the

2015 18U Baseball World Cup The 2015 U-18 Baseball World Cup was an international baseball tournament held by IBAF. The 2015 edition was held in Osaka, Japan from August 28, 2015 to September 6, 2015. Format First Round: The twelve participating nations were drawn into two ...

, where he was named to the all-tournament team. He also played for the national team in June 2016, as part of a goodwill tour of the

Can-Am League The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional baseball league with teams in Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States. Founded in 2005 in Dayton, Ohio, the league was for ...

independent baseball Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

. Robert was also slated to represent Cuba in the

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts wer ...

, but was removed from consideration after his defection. Robert was named to the Cuban national team for

2023 World Baseball Classic The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball tournament and the fifth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. It began on March 8, 2023, and ran until March 21. It was originally scheduled to take place in ...

. He, along with White Sox teammate

Yoán Moncada Yoán Manuel Moncada Olivera (born May 27, 1995) is a Cuban professional baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox. He made his ...

, became the first active MLB players to play for Cuba after having defected. Robert said the situation was "a little strange, because there are some efectorswho sadly cannot play." In the tournament, Robert batted .259/.286/.296, with seven hits and eight strikeouts in 27 at-bats.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robert, Luis 1997 births Living people 21st-century Cuban sportsmen American League All-Stars Arizona Complex League White Sox players Arizona League White Sox players Baseball players from Ciego de Ávila Province Birmingham Barons players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Defecting Cuban baseball players Dominican Summer League White Sox players Glendale Desert Dogs players Gold Glove Award winners Kannapolis Intimidators players Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball players from Cuba National baseball team players Silver Slugger Award winners Sportspeople from Ciego de Ávila Tigres de Ciego de Avila players Winston-Salem Dash players 2023 World Baseball Classic players