Compare and Contrast

Luis Robert was awarded a Gold Glove last night for his defense in center field. Robert was the first Sox rookie to win one since…Tommie Agee in 1966. Holy Memory, Batman. Remembering stuff in some detail is one of the few benefits of getting older. I remember Agee, who definitely was what would now be called a five-tool player. He came to the Sox in January of 1965 with Tommie John (and John Romano) in a three-way trade with the Indians and A’s. John made an immediate splash that season, going 14-7 with a 3.09 ERA, while Agee suffered a broken hand in spring training and had to wait a year to debut on the South Side. Fans weren’t disappointed. The right-handed hitting Agee batted .273 with 22 homeruns; 86 RBIs; 98 runs scored; and 44 stolen bases. We’re talking Rookie of the Year plus a Gold Glove. Too bad 1967 followed ’66. In his second and final year on the South Side, Agee hit .234 with 14 homers; 52 RBIs; 73 runs; and 28 stolen bases. The Sox, figuring Agee was more of a one-year wonder than a building block, shipped him off to the Mets for Tommie Davis. The best-laid plans of mice and men and Sox GM Ed Short… Agee did even worse his first year in New York before turning it around in that unbelievable season of 1969. He had three very nice years, ’69-’71, followed by two blah years, after which he was out of baseball by the age of 30. Yes, I remember all of that. So, when it comes to Robert, I want him to use the tools he was given and make me forget about comparisons to Tommie Agee.