Catching up with Diamondbacks Prospect Kristian Robinson

The journey continues for the multi talented Diamondbacks prospect in the Arizona Fall League

Kristian Robinson during photo day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Feb. 21, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The unmistakable loud crack of the bat echoed through the stadium at Salt River Fields, startling some of the sparse crowd in attendance. Arizona Diamondbacks outfield prospect Kristian Robinson had just unleashed his powerful swing on a slider left up in the middle of the zone.

The ball soared upwards towards dead center field and just kept going, up over the batters eye and into the bushes that sit atop the wall. The ball traveled an estimated 435 feet, but was symbolic of a journey traveled much farther.

An earlier play put his speed and athleticism on display as well. A base hit into left field was misplayed by the left fielder. Robinson took advantage, racing from first to third with graceful, long and powerful strides, easily making it into third base.

Robinson is one of eight Diamondbacks prospects currently on the Salt River Rafters roster playing in the Arizona Fall League. The league is comprised of six teams, with each team's roster constructed from five different MLB organizations, sending highly thought of prospects to participate.

The 23 year old native of the Bahamas was once the considered the top prospect in the Diamondbacks system. As a 17 and 18 year old he tore up the lower minors back in 2018 and 2019, advancing across three levels from rookie ball, to low A, to A ball.

A well publicized off field incident during the 2020 Pandemic season, stemming from a mental health crisis, derailed his career for several years. A long legal process, that included the necessary redemption and recovery ensued. Finally in May of 2023 he was able to secure a work visa and resume his playing career. You can read about his journey back to play in the link below.

Related Content: Kristian Robinson Opens Up

Since that time it's been somewhat of a two steps forward, one step back process for Robinson. He understandably got off to a slow start when he resumed playing in the early summer of 2023. But over his final 52 games hit .306/.413/.645 with 16 homers and 47 RBI in just 218 Plate Appearances. His final 11 games were played at the AA level for the Amarillo Sod Poodles.

Returning to Amarillo for the 2024 season, Robinson once again got off to a slow start. Through June 30 he was batting just .175 with two homers and a .560 OPS. He'd struck out a whopping 69 times in 191 plate appearances.

Robinson hit much better over the second half however, especially in the month of August when he had a .900 OPS. From July 1 onwards he hit .246/.364/.429, .793 OPS in 228 PA. The strikeouts were still an issue however, as he whiffed 81 more times during that span.

The Diamondbacks sent Robinson to the Fall League to continue his development and efforts to make up for lost time. He turns 24 in December, and the team must decide soon whether to protect him from the Rule 5 draft by placing him on the 40-man roster.

The importance of this stage in his journey is not lost on Robinson. He's a highly intelligent and articulate person, and fully understands what's in front of him.

"It's exciting, it's amazing. I think a lot of guys, especially in the minor leagues, are looking for some off-season play, and definitely to have this opportunity, I couldn't ask for anything better."

The Diamondbacks have shown a lot of faith in him, and he wanted to make sure he expressed his feelings about that.

"I think that sends a message. I think it shows that the team still has that same sort of interest as when I signed, and they still feel like there's a lot of upside to my game. So I don't take it for granted, and I'm grateful that they gave me this shot, this opportunity, because it's only a select few of us here."

Dealing with the daily grind can be challenging for any player, and perhaps that's especially true for one trying to overcome some of the obstacles he's faced. When asked to evaluate his season, the areas of preparation and competing seemed to be the biggest focus for him.

"I sum up my season as a learning experience. I think I learned along the lines that I have to prepare to compete against the guys on the field, and no matter how good I'm feeling physically, mentally, with my game, there's still a team out there that's trying to beat us."

The biggest issue holding Robinson back between the lines are his swing and miss tendency. Through his first two professional seasons he had a 26% strikeout rate. While high, it was easy to overlook that due to his age. After all he was still a teenager, and playing against pitchers that were generally three years older.

But the strikeout rate soared to 32% in 2023 and an untenable 36% in 2024. In order for Robinson to take the next steps, he must get those rates back under 30% to have a chance at a major league career. It is very much the elephant in the room when it comes to his evaluation, and he's well aware.

"I think the biggest issue for me during the season was the timing. It has been throughout my career. This isn't something that just showed up this year. It's something that was on the radar, and maybe it spiked a bit this year."

Developing the ability to stick to the game plan and be disciplined has been elusive for Robinson, but here again, he knows what he has to do. It's a matter of execution from here forward.

"I know guys are looking at me in the box a little differently from most of the lineup. So, I've got to be selective. I have to stay disciplined and stay strict with what I want to do, and what pitches I want to see and hit, and be ready for them."

He's seemed especially susceptible at times to sliders down and away and overall breaking pitches down in the zone. But being able to hit a slider, like he did Saturday night, is part of the maturation process.

"You know, it doesn't matter if I'm sitting on a slider, if I get a slider and I miss it, then that's an X in the box. So being ready, that's something that carried out a lot of my bats." [NOTE: This interview took place before Saturday night's home run]

At the end of the day, it's still reps that are needed. Despite playing his age 23 season, he still only has just over 1200 professional plate appearances. It may take some more time for him to figure things out.

"I wouldn't say it's one thing. Depends on the situation, the count, the picher I'm facing, how I think he's going to approach me. I think things vary in different counts, fastballs up or breakers down, early in the count, late in the count. It's all a matter just learning the tendencies of the pitchers and just not being a prisoner to their plan."

Robinson had a message of appreciation to the fans and supporters that have stuck with him. When you see his smile and gentle delivery, it's easy to feel the sincerity in his words.

"I think just the support, especially after everything that happened, the support and just the hopes. It's enough of a driving factor for me to continue to give everything I have into my preparation and coming out and playing and giving my 100% effort every night, every day."

"I try to do my best to acknowledge the supporters, the fans when I can. I think that's one thing that I just wanted to do is acknowledge that I see it and I appreciate it because it is helpful just knowing that there is a warm place of welcoming from the fans."

Arizona Diamondbacks fans can watch Kristian Robinson and all the other D-backs prospects for the next five weeks playing throughout the valley. The Arizona Fall League Schedule presents opportunity in six different locations between the East and West Valley.

Tickets cost $13 for an adult and $11 for seniors 55+ or teens aged 11-17.

KIDS 10 AND UNDER RECEIVE FREE ADMISSION (must be accompanied by an adult).