Where can Luis Robert build on his rookie season? Will Nomar Mazara be back in right field? 4 questions about Chicago White Sox outfielders heading into 2021.

This is the eighth in a series of position-by-position analyses of the White Sox after the 2020 season.

Here are four questions about Sox outfielders.

1. What were the biggest takeaways from Luis Robert’s rookie season?

Luis Robert pulled off one more impressive feat in the final game of his rookie season. The 23-year-old center fielder began the second inning of Game 3 of the wild-card series against the Oakland Athletics with a 487-foot home run to left-center.

After the season-ending 6-4 loss to the A’s, Robert was asked if he had ever hit a ball that far.

“I think probably there was a home run I hit in Double A, it was way long,” Robert said through an interpreter. “I didn’t really see this one because when I hit the ball, I just started running. The guys in the dugout were the ones who told me where the ball landed.”

It was a season filled with long home runs and tremendous defensive plays for Robert. It also included a September slump.

Robert had a splendid start, earning American League Rookie of the Month honors for July/August. He slashed .298/.348/.612 (36-for-121) with eight doubles, 10 home runs, 24 RBIs, 22 runs and four stolen bases in 33 games.

He went into a major funk in September, slashing .136/.237/.173 (11-for-81) with one homer and seven RBIs in 23 games.

Robert said during the stretch when he hit well, he recognized breaking balls, stayed behind the ball and was able to do damage. He started seeing more fastballs, which led to some hesitation.

“ ‘OK, now how are they going to attack me? Are they going to throw me a fastball, or are they going to attack me with breaking balls?’ That almost got me off guard, and I wasn’t prepared for that. And that was why that change threw me off,” Robert said Sept. 15.

He hit safely in each of the final three games against the Cubs, going 5-for-11 in the series, and that return to form continued in the postseason. Robert went 4-for-13 with the home run and two RBIs.

“September was a really bad month for me, but the last two series I was better at the plate, my approach was better,” he said after the Game 3 loss. “The last three games here were good. My offense showed up and I showed what I can do.”

Robert led major-league rookies with 31 RBIs and tied the Seattle Mariners’ Kyle Lewis for the home run lead with 11. Those are numbers to build on in 2021.

2. What offensive improvements did Eloy Jimenez make from his rookie season to his second?

Left fielder Eloy Jimenez had a big rookie season in 2019, finishing with 31 homers and 79 RBIs, and he followed up with a strong 2020.

His slash line improved from .267/.315/.513 to .296/.332/.559. He tied for first in the AL with 21 multihit games, tied for third with 28 extra-base hits, tied for seventh with 14 home runs and placed ninth with 41 RBIs.

Jimenez increased his average every month, hitting .267 (4-for-15) in July, .295 (33-for-112) in August and .302 (26-for-86) in September. In two-out situations, he led the majors with a .438 average (32-for-73) and was second with 25 RBIs, and he hit .375 (9-for-24) with runners in scoring position with two outs.

While he made some strides, Jimenez still has a ways to go defensively. He missed two games after crashing into the wall July 26 against the Minnesota Twins. And when he couldn’t track down a slicing ball hit by Christian Yelich in an Aug. 6 game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Guaranteed Rate Field, his momentum caused him to tumble into the stands. He was momentarily caught in the protective netting as Yelich raced around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.

But Jimenez’s bat is crucial to the Sox lineup. He missed the final three games of the regular season and the first two games of the wild-card series because of a sprained right foot. He was the designated hitter in Game 3 but left after a double in the third with discomfort in the foot.

When healthy, Jimenez has the potential to be one of the top sluggers in the league.

3. Will Nomar Mazara be back as the starting right fielder?

Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert have long-term deals, so left and center are secured.

Right field is another matter.

The Sox traded for Nomar Mazara last offseason, hoping to get more power production from right field. But after missing the start of the season with what he said was strep throat, Mazara had a career-low slash line of .228/.295/.294 in 42 games. He homered once, Sept. 19 in Cincinnati, and had 15 RBIs.

“It’s been a little frustrating because it’s a short season,” Mazara said after the Sept. 19 game. “We don’t have the time that we usually have to say ‘OK, I’m going to get it, we have 500 more at-bats.’ This year, that’s not the case.

“I’ve been a little hard on myself, too, because I know I’ve been working like crazy. Just going out there and nothing’s working. Those days I’m just trying to compete, have good at-bats, but this year is not the case that we have all those at-bats.”

Mazara didn’t start the first two games of the wild-card series but had a hit off the bench in Game 2. He went 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs in Game 3.

Mazara is arbitration eligible. Sox general manager Rick Hahn listed right field among the areas on the team’s wish list this offseason, along with starting pitching and designated hitter.

“We have some internal candidates, obviously, for each of those needs,” Hahn said Oct. 12. “But as we head into the offseason, if you were to identify the shopping list, you hit the nail on the head in terms of coming up with our solutions for the pitching staff as well as potentially in right field and DH.”

4. What other options do the Sox have in the outfield?

Adam Engel is one of the internal candidates. He slashed .295/.333/.477, all career highs, and is a top-notch defensive outfielder. He made a nice running catch in right field for the final out of Lucas Giolito’s no-hitter Aug. 25 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Engel, who homered in Game 1 of the wild-card series, is arbitration eligible.

Leury Garcia made 30 starts in right field in 2019. He played mostly in the infield this season and was limited to 16 games because of a torn ligament in his left thumb. He started in left for the injured Jimenez in the first two games of the wild-card series.

The Sox have a $3.5 million team option on Garcia for 2021.

George Springer and Joc Pederson will be among the top outfielders on the free-agent market.

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