Former Washington Nationals Prospect Named Top Player on New Team
As the Washington Nationals finish up the regular season, there is a lot of excitement about what’s to come in 2025.
This campaign was all about development for the Nationals. This was never going to be a team that was going to compete for a World Series this year, but the plan for their rebuild is looking good.
Washington has been able to stockpile a lot of top prospects and good young players, as now the franchise is watching these players grow. While young players and prospects provide hope and excitement for a franchise, they don’t always pan out.
In 2019, the Nationals saw the emergence of a talented young outfielder in Victor Robles. The then 22-year-old totaled a batting average of .255 with 17 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases. The 4.4 WAR Robles was able to record made it appear like Washington had a star on their hands.
Unfortunately for Washington and Robles, the 2019 season seemed like an outlier, as he didn’t produce anywhere near that level in the years to follow. This campaign, the Nationals decided that it was time to move on from their once talented prospect, as he was picked up by the Seattle Mariners.
Whether it was the realization of being let go, or the Mariners finding something to help him improve, Robles is playing arguably the best baseball of his career with Seattle. Recently, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report named the outfielder as one of the Top-5 most important position players on the team.
Even though the Mariners had a really tough stretch during the season offensively that likely cost them the American League West, the play of Robles for them was really impressive. In 75 games with Seattle, the slugger has totaled a .327 batting average, four home runs, 25 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases.
While Robles is playing excellently for the Mariners, the Nationals shouldn’t feel bad about moving on from him. Washington gave him plenty of opportunities over the last few years to produce.
Since the Nationals moved on from Robles, the team has been able to get more playing time for young outfielders like Jacob Young, James Wood, and Dylan Crews. With those players being potential starters and stars for years to come, Washington should have no regrets.
For Robles, it has been an excellent half of a season in Seattle. He was a player that was once considered a top prospect, and he might be finding his groove once again.
