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Chicago White Sox Slugger Going Viral For Signature Home Run Derby Bat

Luis Robert Jr. leaned into his 'La Pantera' nickname when he picked out custom gear for the classic All-Star Week event.
Sam Connon|
Chicago White Sox Slugger Going Viral For Signature Home Run Derby Bat
Chicago White Sox Slugger Going Viral For Signature Home Run Derby Bat

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Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox's biggest young star made a statement with his bat choice Monday night.

Centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. showed off a new signature bat ahead of the 2023 MLB Home Run Derby, sharing a video of his custom gear from the clubhouse on Instagram. The black bat features a panther wearing a chain on one side, and his jersey number 88 on the other side.

The featured design is a reference to Robert's nickname, "La Pantera," which was given to him by Jose Abreu and Yoan Moncada when he was climbing through the White Sox farm system in 2018. The No. 88 is also styled to emulate the flag of Robert's home country – Cuba.

Even though he was pegged as the No. 1 seed heading into Monday's Home Run Derby, the bat choice helped Robert make noise before the event even started.

Robert burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2020, winning a Gold Glove and finishing second in American League Rookie of the Year voting. In each of the next two seasons, though, the outfielder failed to appear in 100 games.

The young slugger has appeared in 89 of the White Sox's 92 games so far this year, getting his promising career back on track in a big way. At the midway point of the season, Robert is hitting .271 with 26 home runs, 51 RBI, an .899 OPS and a career-high 4.1 WAR.

Robert will be facing off against a handful of other stars Monday night, including New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez, Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Randy Arozarena, Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia, Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts, Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The 2023 Home Run Derby will start at 8 p.m. ET, and it will be televised on ESPN. Robert and Rutschman will go head-to-head in round one of the classic skills competition.

Robert will be a reserve for the American League in Tuesday night's MLB All-Star Game, with first pitch in that game scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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