Orem, Utah —— Entering play on Friday night, Kansas City Royals first base prospect Robby Rinn is slashing .364/.457/.514/.972 over 140 at-bats for the Pioneer League‘s Iadho Falls Chukars, with ten doubles, a triple, three home runs, and 22 walks against just 16 strikeouts in 35 games in 2017. I observed the Bryant University product in a July series on the road against Orem; below is Baseball Census‘ full Robby Rinn scouting report, including video.
Editor’s note: This report and video are both by evaluator Nick Stephens.
Robby Rinn Scouting Report — Video
Our video of Kansas City Royals first base prospect Robby Rinn shows his at-bats in a July 9 game against the Orem Owlz in the Pioneer League:
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Robby Rinn Scouting Report — Notes
Offensively, Robby Rinn stands out with his large, bulky build. Exceptionally active hands at the plate, quick explosive swing. As his age may suggest, a very mature approach in the batter’s box, and an excellent eye. Takes advantage of young Pioneer League pitching by simply waiting until he gets a ball in the zone. Strong ability to resist tempting pitches out of the zone; seeing the ball very well out of the hand right now.
The Kansas City Royals prospect consistently puts balls in play with authority when he doesn’t draw a walk now, which is a plus since he carries above-average power. Should be able to flirt with 20 homers in the future. Surprisingly quick for his size out of the box and on the bases. Won’t steal bases but he’s not a major liability on the bases, either. As to be expected, he has a lot more success against righties than lefties.
Defensively, Robby Rinn shows off an above-average glove at first base. No doubt thanks to his college experience, he has a very refined glove and technically sound footwork at the position. Smooth around the bag; absolutely no concerns about his ability to handle first base throughout his career.
Robby Rinn Scouting Report — Projection
Robby Rinn is nearly three and a half years older than his competition, so he has to dominate in order to move up, and that’s exactly what he’s doing. He’ll likely need some time to adjust to more advanced off-speed stuff once he reaches full season ball, but as long as his zone stays consistent he should have no problem moving up in the system. At his age, and as well as he’s been playing early this summer in the Pioneer League, it’s about time the Kansas City Royals challenged him further.
Robby Rinn is too old to be considered much more than a fringe prospect moving forward, unless he were to move extremely quickly, and so he may well just be destined to be an organizational depth piece in the coming years. That said, he’s flashing some interesting raw tools in this monster summer in Idaho Falls; regardless of age, he’s an all-around talented first baseman that the Kansas City Royals may do well to keep in the fold as they figure out where he might project over the next few seasons. If his raw power develops into over-the-fence game results, he’ll only become more obviously valuable to the organization.
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