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Drew Robinson Scouting Report: Texas Ranger minor league third baseman Drew Robinson ranked #24 on the LSB Community Prospect Rankings.
In the days leading up to Opening Day, I'm going to offer write-ups on the 31 players who made the Rangers' LSB Community Prospect Rankings Top 31. I've done this the last couple of years, and I don't want to re-invent the wheel, so some of this will be a repeat of what I've written before, particularly regarding draft history or performance pre-2013. Also, this is not based on my personal observations -- I'm not a scout, and haven't seen most of these guys. I'm just aggregating the numbers and what others say about these players.
So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at Drew Robinson...
Drew Robinson is a 6'1", 185 lb. lefthanded hitting third baseman drafted by the Rangers in the 4th round of the 2010 draft out of Silverado High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Heading into the draft, he wasn't on Baseball America's top 200 list, but they did have praise for his swing, although they thought he'd have to move from shortstop to the outfield.
Robinson was sent to the complex league in Arizona after signing in 2010, and he did okay there, putting up a .286/.406/.357 line in 170 plate appearances. The Rangers tried him out all over the field, as he got games at each of the four infield positions, as well as left field and right field.
2011 was a difficult season for Robinson. He had a strong spring training, and he got good buzz in the Instructional League after the 2011 season, but during the real games that year, he struggled mightily. Robinson started the year back in Arizona, and he raked, putting up a .500/.640/.778 line in 25 plate appearances. Once promoted to the short-season A Northwest League, however, Robinson put up a brutal .163/.266/.265 line in 175 plate appearances.
Despite Robinson's struggles with Spokane, he showed enough the rest of the time that the Rangers decided to promote him in 2012 and have him spend the year in the low-A Sally League. Robinson had a very solid campaign for Hickory, putting up a .273/.409/.444 line with 13 homers and 86 walks against 123 strikeouts, while playing a solid third base, and also getting some action at second base. It was a good bounceback year that put Robinson back on the prospect map after his brutal 2011.
Robinson moved up to Myrtle Beach in the high-A Carolina League in 2013, and had another solid, if not spectacular, campaign, with a .257/.367/.405 slash line. He continued to walk a lot -- 70 bases on balls with the Pelicans -- and continued to K a lot, striking out 123 times for the second consecutive season.
Robinson will likely be in AA Frisco to start the 2014 season, and the Roughriders will have an intriguing infield, with Luis Sardinas, Rougned Odor, and Ryan Rua all likely to be joining Robinson in the infield to start the season. If Robinson has another solid year, he could be knocking on the door to the majors sometime in 2015 or 2016.
Unlike a lot of the Rangers more highly touted minor league prospects, one of Robinson's biggest assets is his approach at the plate. His contact rate is worrisome, but he is going to get on base, and he has enough power that pitchers will have to pitch him honestly. The Rangers will likely seek to increase his versatility by getting him some reps at second base and first base, and if he pans out, he could end up being a major leaguer with an offensive profile similar to Todd Walker.
