One of the top prospects in baseball in 2017, Washington Nationals outfielder Victor Robles made his big league debut at the very end of the summer, going 6-for-24 over 13 games in D.C. after splitting the year between High-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg. It was a nice dress rehearsal for the speedy, athletic 21-year-old (DOB: May 19, 1997) outfielder, who then went to the Arizona Fall League to play a few times a week for the Mesa Solar Sox. It was there, in Mesa, that we observed Robles multiple times throughout the six-week AFL slate.
The outfield prospect comes exactly as advertised: a great all-around athlete with average-or-better tools across the board and intangibles that suggest he could become an above-average big leaguer one day soon, if not an outright star. He’s got the tools and personality to succeed in the big leagues with some growth, and the Nats likely have themselves a center fielder of the future here. Below, you’ll find our full Victor Robles scouting report, including tool grades, game notes, projections, and game video for the Washington Nationals outfield prospect.
Victor Robles Scouting Report, Washington Nationals — 2017
Dates observed in 2017: Arizona Fall League
Victor Robles Scouting Report, Washington Nationals — 2017 Game Video
Victor Robles Scouting Report — Notes & Analysis
Victor Robles is what he is, and what’s hopefully been shown so far in this scouting report: a hell of a solid player with the tools and intangibles to be an above-average everyday centerfielder in the Major Leagues for years to come. Simple enough, right?
I supposed I’d rather use this space, then, to very briefly examine a value comparison between him and Atlanta Braves outfield prospect Ronald Acuna — the other top prospect who starred in the AFL this fall. They’re both pretty clearly exceptional players, but if you held a gun to my head today and made me choose, I’d take Acuna ahead of Robles to enter 2018. Acuna is a little more raw in approach, especially at the plate, but he’s got Robles’ speed and athleticism with more raw power, significantly more game power, and, for me, a pretty significantly stronger throwing arm in the outfield. I’ll go deeper on Acuna in his own scouting report in a couple weeks, but just comparing out tool grades has me here:
Again, this is just a useless thought exercise and ought to take nothing away from Victor Robles, who is a damn solid outfielder with abundant tools at the plate and on the bases. Just consider it a detour in an analysis section put forth by a guy who watched Robles and Acuna go at it day after day in the Arizona Fall League over the last six weeks. Depending on your viewings, biases, perspectives (and fandoms)… your mileage may vary.
Victor Robles Scouting Report — Future Projection
Taking all normal assumptions (health, etc.), Victor Robles ought to be on the 25-man roster for the Washington Nationals to begin the 2018 season. If he isn’t a starter then, he will be shortly thereafter, and there’s no reason not to expect him to be a solid, first-division everyday starter in center field with a long window ahead of him. Regarding Acuna, I could be wrong, and Robles could turn out to be the stronger big leaguer (there’s more risk in Acuna’s profile, so it’s entirely possible), but whether it’s even worthwhile to keep comparing the two (it’s not), it doesn’t matter much: the Washington Nationals have themselves a bona fide impact player here who should turn into a really, really nice big league piece solid and consistent across the board beginning this coming season.
Overall Future Potential (Future Value): Above-average/first-division everyday outfielder (60)
MLB ETA: 2017
Did you like this Victor Robles scouting report? Get more prospects here:
Houston Astros RHP Dean Deetz — CLICK HERE
Colorado Rockies C Javier Guevara — CLICK HERE
Texas Rangers RHP Seth Nordlin — CLICK HERE
Seattle Mariners OF Luis Liberato — CLICK HERE
Chicago Cubs OF Kwang-Min Kwon — CLICK HERE
+++
More from our Victor Robles scouting report and other Washington Nationals prospects:
Team Page | News Archives | Facebook Page | Twitter Account
Follow Baseball Census on social media:
Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram | Google+
Washington Nationals RHP Kyle McGowin Scouting Report, 2017
November 29, 2017 at 8:22 pm
[…] Washington Nationals OF Victor Robles Scouting Report, 2017 […]
Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuna Scouting Report, 2017
December 5, 2017 at 2:32 pm
[…] As I mentioned when I profiled similar Washington Nationals outfielder Victor Robles last week in his own full scouting report here, I like Acuna better than Robles as a prospect, with a bit more risk through his development but […]
Washington Nationals OF Daniel Johnson Scouting Report, 2017
December 9, 2017 at 2:03 am
[…] first look and perhaps seen some as the ‘other’ Washington Nationals outfielder at AFL besides the exceptional, attention-getting Victor Robles, I must admit I didn’t think much of Daniel Johnson the first few times I saw him in Mesa. […]