MLB: The most valuable center fielders of 2019
By Bill Felber
MLB: The most valuable center fielders of 2019
5. Victor Robles, Washington Nationals, $8 million value; $558,000 salary
In his first full season, Robles established himself as a central player on a World Series-winning team. That in itself is pretty good.
The measurable Robles generated were, for the most part, only okay. He batted .255 with a .326 on-base average, both major league midline. Robles did heist 28 bases in 37 attempts and finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting.
Based solely on those numbers plus his equally pedestrian on-base and slugging figures, it would be hard to detect where Robles was exceptional. WAR, which factors second-level aspects into its equation, found enough value to assign him a 4.1 value, the position’s fifth highest.
With his foot speed, one might assume Robles’s defense rated exceptional. Not really. His .882 fielding average ranked just 27th among the 38 centerfielders and translated to $689,000. His 2.48 chances per nine innings did rank 12th, good if not exceptional.
Reliability was a Robles asset. He played 1,309 innings, third-highest for the position and worth $670,000 in value. That drove his overall value to an even $8 million.
Like Laureano, Robles is pre-arbitration eligible, so the Nationals can expect value in excess of his cost for at least the next few seasons.