Eloy Jimenez: Luis Robert is 'the next Mike Trout'

Luis Robert has yet to play a major-league game but that isn't stopping one of his Chicago White Sox teammates from comparing him to one of the best ever.

"People will call me crazy but (Robert) is going to be the next Mike Trout," White Sox slugger Eloy Jimenez told reporters on Friday, according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Robert, 22, landed a six-year, $50-million contract extension with the White Sox this winter that could pay the young phenom up to $88 million over eight years. The outfielder is coming off a season where he was named Minor League Hitter of the Year by MLB Pipeline, hitting .328/.376/.624 with 32 homers and 36 stolen bases over three different levels last year.

Robert's contract represents the largest guaranteed deal ever given to a player with zero days of service time, breaking the previous mark set by teammate Jimenez.

Last winter, the White Sox signed Jimenez - then a highly touted prospect in his own right - to a six-year, $43-million contract with incentives up to $77.5 million over eight seasons. In his first campaign, the 23-year-old hit .267/.315/.513 with 31 homers over 122 games.

Trout, now entering his age-28 season, won his third AL MVP award last year after hitting .291/.438/.645 with 45 homers and 11 steals over 134 games. Through the duration of his nine-year career, Trout owns a 1.000 OPS and has finished in the top four of MVP voting in each of the last eight years.

The eight-time All-Star and seven-time Silver Slugger has accrued 73.4 WAR, according to FanGraphs, which ranks 47th all time among hitters - one spot ahead of recently minted Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.

Robert was originally signed by the White Sox as an international free agent out of Cuba at the age of 19 on a deal that included a $26-million signing bonus.