Washington Nationals: Robles Shows Growing Pains and Gains
Washington Nationals outfielder Victor Robles played in his first Opening Weekend, but it wasn’t without its highs and lows.
After the first two games of the Washington Nationals regular season, Victor Robles has done some spectacular things, as well as make some spectacular blunders.
In game one, he made a base running mistake that showed his age to everyone watching. In game two, he got picked off first base in a tie game, a critical mistake.
Noah Syndergaard with a sharp throw (and a nice tag by Pete Alonso) to pick off Victor Robles after a leadoff single. Syndergaard had four pickoffs all of last year. Controlling the running game will be a key for him all summer.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) March 30, 2019
Mets 4, Nationals 3 in the fifth.
He got picked off by Noah Syndergaard, who is notoriously bad at keeping runners close. In 2018, Noah had a 91% stolen base percentage, much higher than the league average 72%. Stolen base percentage tracks how successful runners are stealing bags off a pitcher, and runners love to see Syndergaard.
The Nats are certainly no exception, as Syndergaard, coming into this season allowed 16 stolen bases against the Nats, the most he allowed to any team.
In addition to the baserunning mistakes, Robles showed his inexperience in the outfield. An errant throw and failed leaping catch allowed the Mets to set the stage to score three runs in the top of the first inning.
However, it is way too early to panic. The Nationals sit at (0-2) on the season but have shown some definite signs of life. Some of those signs have been off the bat of Victor Robles. In the bottom of the third Robles rocked a solo home run to left field, his first of the year.
This is why Victor Robles is the No. 4 prospect in @MLB.#FlyingV // #OnePursuit pic.twitter.com/ZG0xCxK8we
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) March 30, 2019
Robles has homered before every other player on the Nationals, and I think that is an excellent sign.
Next. No Need to Overreact to Opening Day. dark
Nationals fans understand a young player who is on the verge of stardom probably better than any other franchise. The Nats have been through Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, and now Robles. If their luck is the same with the names they have had in the past, Robles will be just fine.