Drew Robinson

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Texas Rangers #14 prospect in 2018
  Robinson signed with the Rangers out of high school in 2010 and would have been a minor league free agent after the 2016 season, but the Rangers added him to the 40-man roster. In his eighth season with the organization, Robinson made his major league debut in 2017 on April 5, went back down to Triple-A, then returned to Texas at the end of June. Robinson is a versatile player who can play multiple positions and chips in value in different ways. He's a selective hitter who consistently walks at a high clip, including his 14 percent rate in Triple-A in 2017. His power is a tick above-average, with the ability to drive the ball in the air for home runs to all fields. His strikeout rate is high, a combination of his patience turning into passivity at times along with the swing-and-miss in his game. With average speed and arm strength, Robinson doesn't play shortstop but he does play steady defense just about everywhere else, including third, second and all three outfield spots, though he's stretched thin in center field. Robinson's versatility should keep him around the big league club in 2018 as on offensive-oriented utility man with value as a lefthanded bat off the bench who can occasionally fill-in as a starter when needed.
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  Ranked Texas Rangers #23 prospect in 2017
  Bryce Harper was the talk of Nevada when he went No. 1 overall in the 2010 draft. It has been a slower climb for Robinson, a fellow Las Vegas native who signed with the Rangers for $198,000 out of the draft that year. He would have become a minor league free agent after the 2016 season, but the Rangers added him to the 40-man roster. Robinson doesn't have one plus tool, but he does a bit of everything, bats lefthanded and plays nearly every position. He has a loose, smooth swing with strong hands to drive the ball for a tick above-average power. He walked 13 percent of the time at Triple-A Round Rock but also struck out 28 percent of his plate appearances. His patience borders on passivity, putting him in bad counts sometimes. He is an average runner with good baserunning instincts and the speed to play the outfield in addition to his natural infield spots. That versatility is key for Robinson, who projects as an offensive-minded utility man. He likely will return to Triple-A but should make his major league debut in 2017.
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  Ranked Texas Rangers #21 prospect in 2014
  When the Rangers signed Robinson for $198,000 out of high school in 2010, they thought they were getting one of the more advanced prep bats in the draft, but he floundered in short-season Spokane the next season. He rebounded with a solid season in 2012 and another steady campaign in 2013 at high Class A Myrtle Beach after a slow start. He rebounded to hit .275/.398/.454 in the second half while cutting his strikeout rate. Robinson has a sweet, compact stroke from the left side and a keen eye at the plate. He's a patient hitter--to the point of being passive in the view of some scouts--whose game is more about getting on base than hitting for power. He uses the whole field, though he'll still fall into the trap of pulling off the ball and rolling over for a grounder to second base. Robinson's power is below-average with some over-the-fence pop to his pull side, but some think he could grow into 15-20 homers in his prime. His position once was in question, but he made the biggest strides in the field in 2013. He started the year playing very tall and upright at third base, but he worked hard to get down into a more athletic fielding position, which helped his lateral range and his ability to charge the slow rollers. He's a below-average runner with a solid-average arm. He should reach Double-A Frisco in 2014.
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  Ranked Texas Rangers #21 prospect in 2013
  Excluding Bryce Harper, scouts liked Robinson more than any hitter in the Four Corners area leading up to the 2010 draft. He did little to justify that faith by face-planting in the Northwest League the following year, when he hit .163/.266/.265 in 45 games. Playing on a talent-laden Hickory team in 2012 reduced the pressure on Robinson and he recovered his feel to hit, ranking third in the South Atlantic League in walks (86) and fifth in on-base percentage (.409). He also racked up 123 strikeouts, the product of working deep counts, pulling off the ball and timing issues when his hips drifted too far forward. With a sweet lefty swing, Robinson hits for average first and power second, and he continues to show the same gap-to-gap approach he did as an amateur. A below-average runner, he played shortstop in high school but hasn't settled into a defensive home in pro ball. He landed at third base with Hickory and also spent 15 games at second, but his feet and hands are just OK, so he might make his way to an outfield corner before all is said and done. He has a tick above-average arm. Robinson will graduate to high Class A in 2013.