This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The star power was off the charts Monday night at Angel Stadium.

And in this instance, I’m not even talking about Shohei Ohtani, arguably the greatest player on the planet. Let’s focus on the center of the diamond.

Mike Trout was there for the Angels, the same Trout vying for an 11th All-Star appearance to go with three American League MVPs and one AL Rookie of the Year award. Let’s not forget his 367 career home runs, 205 stolen bases and .994 OPS. He has also been a top-notch defender, although Trout has yet to win a Gold Glove.

Luis Robert Jr. stood as the center-field counterpart of the White Sox. Strangely enough, it was just Monday morning on MLB Network when analyst Yonder Alonso referred to Robert Jr. as the “Cuban Mike Trout.” It might be a slight stretch for Robert Jr., but the raw skill-set is certainly there to match one of the all-time best.

“It’s always good to see and follow players like Mike Trout, the kind of players that are one in a generation,” said Robert Jr. through interpreter Billy Russo prior to Monday’s 2-1 loss. “It’s always good to compete against one of the best in the game. We are a different kind of players. I don’t think you can compare that.”

Robert Jr. has been on another level during May and June. His first-inning home run Monday marked his 22nd this season and was his third homer in four at-bats. His defense has been Gold Glove-caliber, with nine runs saved entering Monday.

Of greatest importance to Robert Jr. is his 77 of 80 games played for the White Sox. He never reached 100 games in any of his three previous seasons, although he played in 56 of 60 during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. Playing every day allows Robert Jr. to show off his full array of talents and even work through a tough April at the plate.

Longevity of excellence might be the biggest factor separating Robert Jr. from the game’s true elite. For the record, Eloy Jiménez at SoxFest 2020 originally referred to Robert Jr. as the next Trout.

“I just told him I feel honored that he compared me with him, but he’s on a different level,” Robert Jr. said. “If I’m able to keep playing for a very long time and sustain the level of success that I’m having now, then maybe at some point we can talk about that comparison. But in the meantime, I just have to keep working hard.”