Washington Nationals
Victor Robles, OF
- MLB.com: 5
- Baseball Prospectus: 7
- Baseball America: 9
- FanGraphs: 8
As a consensus Top 5 prospect, Victor Robles is far and away the best prospect in the Washington Nationals farm system. There’s really no debate after the Nats traded Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the White Sox as part of the Adam Eaton deal.
Speaking of Eaton, Washington paid a big price for the center fielder, which could potentially complicate Robles’ future with the franchise. However, with veteran outfielder Jayson Werth a free agent at the end of 2017, Bryce Harper hitting free agency after 2018, and Robles just 20 years old and playing in High Class-A, there’s plenty of time for things to work themselves out.
An international free agent signee from the Dominican Republic in 2013, Robles is an ideal centerfielder and leadoff hitter. In four seasons as a pro, Robles has hit .305/.400/.468 with 22 home runs, 49 doubles, 20 triples and 92 stolen bases in 255 games. Robles has a 6.9 percent walk rate and 14.0 percent strikeout rate. He also plays terrific defense, and could be a Gold Glove winner in center.
Though he’s yet to reach Double-A, there is plenty of reason to believe Robles could be Washington’s every day centerfielder by the end of 2018 – or he could be a member of another organization. With the Nats expected to win the NL East, and with arguably the best team in franchise history, as well as a potentially limited timeline to capitalize on Harper’s tenure in D.C., the Nationals might be tempted to part with the elite prospect if it means the club can get its hands on the missing piece to a World Series winner.