Washington Nationals outfielder Victor Robles was the “pop up” prospect of 2015 and followed up with a thoroughly impressive 2016. Could he push for a major league debut in 2017?
Player Profile
The Washington Nationals signed Victor Enrique (Brito) Robles out of the Dominican Republic in July of 2013 for “just” $225,000.
Robles opened where most lightly-regarded international prospects open, which is the Dominican Summer League, in 2014. He showed very quickly that he was more than his bonus may have indicated, hitting .313/.408/.484 with three home runs and 22 stolen bases, posting a 7.51 percent walk rate and 12.21 percent strikeout rate.
Robles moved up to the Nationals Gulf Coast League affiliate to open 2015, and after completely dominating the GCL, he was promoted to the New York-Penn League to finish out the season.
He combined to hit .352/.445/.507 with four home runs and 24 stolen bases, posting a 6.9 percent walk rate and 12.64 percent strikeout rate.
That impressive performance caught the eye of many evaluators, and he shot up prospect lists. He was ranked #33 overall by Baseball America, #63 by MLB Pipeline and #29 by Baseball Prospectus.
Robles opened 2016 with low-A Hagerstown in the South Atlantic League. At roughly the halfway point of the season, he was promoted to high-A Potomac in the Carolina League.
Including a five-game rehab appearance with the Nationals’ GCL team after an injury in late July, Robles totaled a .280/.376/.423 line with nine home runs and 37 stolen bases. He posted a 6.35 percent walk rate and 15.28 percent strikeout rate.
After that solid performance, he also had a solid showing in the national rankings, finishing #13 with MLB Pipeline, #13 by Baseball America and #7 by Baseball Prospectus.
I had Robles #7 in my top 125 here at Call to the Pen in early January.
Next: Robles' scouting report