Trayvon Robinson, OF Seattle Mariners
9/1/1987
Height: 5’11″ Weight: 200
Trayvon Robinson was taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 10th round of the the 2005 Amateur Draft. Coming out of Crenshaw HS, alma mater of Daryl Strawberry, Robinson was also a product of the RBI Program. As one of the Dodgers top hitting prospects along with Jerry Sands, Robinson checked in at #51 on our Preseason Top 100 Prospect List. Robinson has since made his way north to Seattle via the MLB Trade Deadline. Check out our take on the Bedard/Robinson deal.
Here was Geo’s take on Robinson at the deadline:
“Robinson, the former Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles stand out has really emerged this season. After being drafted in the 10th round in 2005, he struggled until seeing the light in 2009. His 2011 season has been impressive. He is hitting .293 with 26 hr’s, 71 rbi, 70 runs, and 8 sb in 368 ab’s over 100 games for AAA Albuquerque. I love the .938 ops, however the 122 k’s vs 45 walks I can do without. He’s only 23, and while you can teach plate discipline, you can’t teach talent. Robinson does have the talent to be an everyday center fielder. The question is will he be an average one, or will he be a good one? We shall see.”
Trayvon Robinson, OF Seattle Mariners
Trayvon’s swing is pretty fluid from both sides of the plate, especially for a switch hitter who picked it up after turning pro. To say that we saw the power output coming would be a lie. Sure, we expected more of the doubles to start clearing the fence, but not a complete 180.
Robinson has nearly doubled his IsoP of .138 last season to a whopping .270 this season. There is no way that this skill set can keep that type of power production in the major leagues right now. Especially in the confines of SafeCo. With the power output and Robinson’s base-stealing skills one would think we would be staring down the barrel of a 30-30 type season. But the speed has evaporated as much as the power has increased. As Geo mentioned, the K’s have gone in the wrong direction as well and the walks have come down. For a player who can take advantage of his legs, that is not a good trend. I don’t care how much his power has jumped. His BB% of 14.4 in 2010 was acceptable and it led to 36 SB vs only 9 this year. Plate discipline will be the foremost the biggest deciding factor in how good Trayvon Robinson can become.
Our Instinct
There will be a steep learning curve for Robinson if he is rushed to Seattle. But in time, as the power level reverts and he is forced back into his own game, using his speed to set the tone, I think he should be at least an average OF and possibly above average in his prime. The power is really there. Not at the current levels, but the skill is real. So during his prime, some 20/20 seasons for Robinson may not be out of the question.
If he doesn’t rein in the K’s and begin to use his speed as the asset that it can be, this may be a 4th OF at best. But I think he’ll be able to make the adjustments and be a productive Major Leaguer.
Check back soon for our Prospect Instinct for Blue Jays top prospect Brett Lawrie and Cardinals Phenom, Carlos Martinez.
