Luis Robert Jr. appears to be enjoying his new home in New York.
The former Chicago White Sox center fielder is off to a strong start with the New York Mets, tallying five hits through his first three games, including a pair of multi-hit performances. In the one game he didn’t notch multiple hits, he launched a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the 11th to lift the Mets to a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
After spending his first six seasons in the majors on the South Side of Chicago, Robert was dealt to the Mets this offseason, and it did not take him long to take a subtle jab at his former team in the process.
Ahead of his first home game at Citi Field, Robert pointed to the expected crowd and didn’t hold back when comparing atmospheres.
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“I am sure that Thursday, the stadium is going to be packed,” Robert said. “Which is something that over the last few years in Chicago, I didn’t get to experience that. It’s going to be a new experience for me.”
For White Sox fans, the sentiment is nothing new. The Pale Hose have long been the butt of attendance jokes, especially from their counterparts on the North Side. And to be fair, there’s some truth to it. Last season, the White Sox averaged just over 18,000 fans per game, ranking 27th in the majors. The last time they cleared the 20,000 mark was in 2023, when they drew an average of 21,405.
But the recent dip falls squarely on the team’s performance, something that Robert was one of the major culprits of. It’s hard to fault White Sox fans for not wanting to spend their hard-earned money on a team that’s lost 100-plus games in each of the last three seasons.
When the White Sox are competitive, fans show up. In 2021, they ranked 14th in attendance while winning the AL Central, and the following season, riding that playoff momentum, they posted their highest average of the past five years at 24,704 per game.
Robert of all people should know this better than anyone, having a front row seat to a pair of sell-out crowds dressed in all black during the 2021 ALDS. Nobody heard a peep from Robert then. If he truly wanted to play in front of packed crowds, perhaps he should have looked in the mirror.
Robert was expected to be a core piece of a contending team, but instead provided the White Sox with a litany of IL stints and mediocre at-bats. The 28-year-old Cuban had his moments, but they were few and far between.
After winning a Gold Glove and finishing runner-up in the AL Central Rookie of the Year voting in 2020, Robert did little to turn the White Sox misfortunes around. Sure, he was named an All-Star after hitting 38 homers and stealing 20 bases in 2023. But you take away that season, and Robert was averaging just 13 homers and 44 games played with the White Sox.
Even including that All-Star campaign, Robert struck out in 26% of his plate appearances and posted a .259/.313/.456 slash line. Solid numbers, but not nearly enough to match the expectations that came with his six-year, $50 million deal.
It’s clear that a change of scenery was necessary for both parties, and while there is likely no bad blood on either side, it is curious that Robert is choosing to throw stones from a glass hamstring.
Was his comment accurate? Yes. Was it necessary? Absolutely not. Call it an overreaction, but the White Sox have enough issues as it is without their former center fielder pouring salt in the wound, and with a combined .659 OPS over the past two seasons, Robert certainly has enough to keep him occupied.
