Washington Nationals: Clint Robinson Loses Bench Spot To Adam Lind

Today, the Washington Nationals backup first baseman spot has been decided as Clint Robinson will be placed on waivers

The Washington Nationals officially made the decision on who would be the backup first baseman to Ryan Zimmerman, Before tonight’s game against the Miami Marlins, Clint Robinson told the media that he will be placed on waivers, thus clearing that bench spot for Adam Lind

It should come to nobody’s surprise that Robinson did not make the Major League roster. This spring, the 32-year-old left-handed hitter hit .205 (9-for-44) with five RBI’s. The problem that Robinson had was that his numbers were not vastly superior to Lind’s this spring.

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted yesterday, another factor that hurt Robinson’s chances of making the team was that he was out of options. The Washington Nationals couldn’t afford to keep both first basemen on the roster:

If Robinson does clear waivers and goes to triple-A, the Nats would at least have good backup first base depth in the minor leagues. Other options the Nats would have at that position are Matt Skole and utility man Brandon Snyder.

Robinson was signed by the Nats as a non-roster invitee to spring training before the 2015 season. In his two seasons in D.C., he hit .257 with 15 home runs and 60 RBI’s (ten of those home runs came in 2016).

While he provided power from the left side, Robinson struggled in pinch-hitting situations a season ago. In 49 at-bats as a pinch hitter, he had a batting average of .184 with one home run and 11 strikeouts).

As I mentioned earlier, Lind’s numbers were not much better this spring (.186, three RBI’s, ten strikeouts). However, he has a better track record at the Major League level than Robinson and he was signed to a Major League contract.

It will be interesting to see whether or not Robinson will be claimed by a team. If he’s not and the first baseman decides to go to Syracuse, no one should rule out that he could contribute to the Major league team this year if there is an injury.

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Now, the spotlight shifts to the final bench spot competition between utility man Wilmer Difo and outfielder Michael Taylor. Of course, Dusty Baker still has a few days before the opener to make that tough decision.