The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

KRISTIAN Robinson continues to progress in the Arizona Diamondbacks organisation and will begin his 2019 campaign at the Class A - Short Season level.

Robinson, an 18-year-old outfielder, was assigned to the Hillsboro Hops of the Northwest League just ahead of the club’s opening day on June 14.

Listed at No.5 among the Diamondbacks’ minor league prospects according to MLB Pipeline, Robinson was one of four top 30 prospects to join the Hops.

Located in Hillsboro, Oregon, the team was founded in 2013 and hosted the NWL All-Star Game in 2017 at Ron Tonkin Field.

The NWL’s short season starts in mid-June, after major league teams have signed their amateur draft picks and ends in early September. The NWL has existed in various forms since 1890, and has been in its current incarnation since 1955.

The Class A Short Season is a separate classification from Class A. Class A Short Season teams are slightly more limited than Class A teams with respect to player age and years of experience at the pro level. There are two Class A Short Season leagues, the NWL and New York-Penn League.

Prior to the season, Bleacher Report identified Robinson as one of the Diamondbacks’ “most underhyped prospect” for the upcoming 2019 campaign. He is one of two Bahamian prospects in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ organisation alongside No.1 ranked Jazz Chisholm, who is currently with the Jackson Generals in the Double A Southern League.

“If you’re not familiar with Robinson, get ready to see his name all over top-100 lists this spring,” the Bleacher Report analysis said.

“Making his US debut as a 17-year-old, he hit .279/.363/.428 with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 41 RBI in 57 games spanning two different rookie-ball stops, and he’s just scratching the surface.

“With the potential for 60-grade hit and power tools and the speed to steal double-digit bases and stick in centre field defensively, he looks like a star in the making. His $2.5 million bonus as part of the 2017 international class could prove to be the best money the D-backs have ever spent.”

He began his pro career last season in the Arizona Rookie League. In 40 AZL games, he hit .272 with a .754 OPS, .341 OBP, 31 RBI, four home runs, 11 doubles, seven stolen bases and scored 35 runs.

Following the conclusion of training camp last March, Robinson was listed as the No.12 prospect in the Diamondbacks’ organisation, and was invited to extended spring training prior to the regular season.

He helped the AZL D-backs to clinch their first-ever playoff berth in the Arizona Rookie League. Following that production, he was then assigned to the Missoula Osprey of the Pioneer League. With the Osprey, it took just seven games for Robinson to record the first multi home-run game at the pro level.

In 17 games with the Osprey he hit .300 with an .886 OPS, .419 OBP, 10 RBI, three home runs, five stolen bases and scored 13 runs. His promotion to the Osprey began with a head-to-head matchup against D’Shawn Knowles and the Orem Owlz.

Robinson finished 1-4 with one run and one RBI while Knowles was 2-4 with three runs scored in a 7-3 win for the Owlz.

Knowles, 18, progressed from the Arizona Rookie League to the Pioneer League in just 30 games last season.

Robinson was the Diamondbacks’ most lucrative international signing for the 2017 class. Out of Maximum Development Academy, he reached an agreement near $2.55 million. He also played with the Midland Redskins and Florida Stealth during his recruitment process.