Sometimes good prospects fall to the later rounds of the draft. Trayvon Robinson was one of those guys. Drafted in the 10th round of the 2005 draft, Robinson has taken his time moving up the ladder, further proof that not everyone can zip through the system. He began as a raw athlete with many tools and few skills, but he’s starting to add those skills to his resume.
Robinson signed fairly quickly, and he spent close to 50 games in a couple rookie-ball leagues hitting .283/.336/.441, though struggling in the harder league. He spent 2006 in rookie-ball again, but he moved up to Low-A in 2007, and while he didn’t do real well, he received a promotion to High-A in 2008. He hit a bit better, struck out less, walked a little more, and showed quite a bit more power (2 HR to 4, 9 2B to 20). For some reason, the Dodgers made him repeat the level, and he dominated it in 2009 to the tune of .306/.375/.500. Robinson, however, made his most substantial improvements in 2010 at AA Chatanooga. Still striking out a fair bit, he upped his walk totals again and his line was an impressive .300/.404/.438. With a promotion to AAA in 2011, he was one step from the majors, and he’s done everything he can so far, hitting a stupendous .303/.377/.578.
As I stated above, Robinson began his career as a very toolsy player, but he couldn’t really put it together. Over the years, he’s been able to refine his approach, tap into some power, and play excellent defense. Offensively, he hits from both sides of the plate, and he utilizes his speed well, though he could still do better in the stolen base department (148/212 in his career). He has some power, but his .578 SLG this season is partially due to Albuquerque and the Pacific Coast League environment that is very hitter-friendly. Still, he’s hit well and could do so in the majors. Defensively, he has excellent range, but his arm isn’t great.
Scouts aren’t quite sure what to make of him. Kevin Goldstein had him 4th in his Dodgers ranking. John Sickels was also impressed, placing him 3rd. Keith Law (6th) and Baseball America (10th), however, weren’t as impressed. Robinson has done well and improved. But his best offensive seasons have been in the California League and Pacific Coast League, and it makes it harder to believe in the performance.
But, as with all prospects, there needs to be a place for him. The Dodgers looked to Jerry Sands early on in the season, but that didn’t work well. Now, they seem content with Tony Gwynn, Jr. (.248/.310/.324) for whatever reason, but there’s no reason to believe that Robinson, even if he loses the power, couldn’t be a better option. Chances are it would be best to put Robinson in center and move Kemp to a corner, but Robinson is still the better option for LF.
