Fantasy Baseball 2017 Prospect Watch: Nationals Victor Robles

The Nationals called up their top prospect, outfielder Victor Robles on Thursday. With the division clinched, he should see more playing time.

The Washington Nationals were the most recent team to call up one of their top prospects for the final weeks and possibly for the playoffs. Outfielder Victor Robles made his first appearance on Thursday and made his first start on Sunday. With the Nationals clinching the National League East, I think Robles will get more playing time to end the season.

Robles spent most of his career in Single-A and High-A. He hasn’t played in anything higher than Double-A, and he has just 37 games at that level.

Yet, the Nationals felt, despite the current outfield depth, that they needed to bring Robles and his speed up to the main roster.

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Robles hit .324/.394/.489 with three home runs, 14 RBI and 24 runs scored in those 37 Double-A games. He also has 11 steals in 14 attempts. Robles displayed good patience at the plate with a 22:12 K:BB ratio.

In High-A, Robles hit .289 with seven homers, 33 RBI and 49 runs scored. He also stole 16 bases in 23 attempts. He walked 25 times and struck out 62 times with a .377 on-base percentage. While the speed is nice, I don’t see anything that “wows” me that the Nationals would have needed to call him up.

Granted, with the rosters expanding for the final month, this is a good time to see how the top prospects fair in the big leagues. The Nationals also just clinched a playoff berth, which allows them to rest their regulars more often.

The Nationals are without star outfielder Bryce Harper. He is dealing with a bone bruise in his left knee and a calf strain in his left leg. There is no timetable for his return. Some added insurance at this point for a team with World Series aspirations makes sense.

The Nats are rolling out Michael Taylor, Jayson Werth and Howie Kendrick with Alejandro De Aza making some starts. Robles could take some playing time away from Kendrick in left or Werth in right. The latter will be a free agent next year, opening a spot for Robles in 2018.

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As far as the fantasy aspect goes, Robles won’t be much of a factor this year. He has little power but makes good contact and can run. If you need steals, Robles is worth a speculative add in deeper leagues. I would wait until he gets a full-time job sometime next season.