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Nationals: 3 players who must have rebound seasons

By James Simmons

Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the New York Mets during game 1 of a double header at Nationals Park on September 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the New York Mets during game 1 of a double header at Nationals Park on September 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Victor Robles will need to regain his form for the Nationals to compete in 2021.
Victor Robles #16 of the Washington Nationals bats against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on September 18, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Victor Robles

Lost in the shuffle of the Nationals run to the World Series was the regular season Victor Robles had. He was not a superstar on the team, though he quietly put together a good enough stat line to help the cause. Robles hit a modest .255 and jacked 17 home runs, while stealing 28 bases. He added 12 assists from his outfield position.

In the offseason prior to the 2020 season, Robles added 15 pounds of straight muscle, which seemed to mess with his movement and hitting technique. He was downright awful at the plate.

Robles batted a career low .220 with a putrid OPS of .608. He struck out a third of the time and looked lost at the plate. Even though he played error free baseball in the outfield, he had just one outfield assist. Maybe teams didn’t run on his arm as much, maybe he wasn’t as spot on with his throws as the year before.

Robles won’t have to look over his shoulder anymore at Michael A. Taylor, freeing his mind to focus  on doing what the Nationals need him to do. Get on base. While Robles struggled in the Dominican Winter League recently, we believe he will right the ship and lead the team in stolen bases this season.

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