The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rsorsett@tribunemedia.net

MAJOR League Baseball continued to reveal its Top 30 Prospects for each franchise and more Bahamian players were listed for their respective National League clubs.

Kristian Robinson heads the list as the No.1 prospect of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jazz Chisholm was named the No. 3 prospect of the Miami Marlins and Tahnaj Thomas was listed at No. 13 for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This brings the list to seven Bahamian players that have been listed among the top 30 in their organisations after the American League prospect was named earlier in the week.

The American League top 30 prospects included D’Shawn Knowles (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - No. 9), Trent Deveaux (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - No.15), Lucius Fox (Tampa Bay Rays - No. 25) and Keithron Moss (Texas Rangers - No. 30).

Robinson was previously listed at No. 43 in MLB’s top 100. He rose 29 spots in the rankings from his position at No.72 at the end of the 2019 season. This came after a 16-spot advancement last year when he began the 2019 preseason ranked at No.88.

Robinson began last season at the Class A - Short Season level with the Hillsboro Hops.

In 44 games with the Hops, he hit .319 with 52 hits, 10 doubles, scored 29 runs, 35 RBI, nine home runs, an OBP of .407, OPS of .966, and slugging .558 with 14 stolen bases.

In August, he was called up to the Kane County Cougars, where he concluded the remainder of the season in the Class A Midwest League.

In 25 games with the Cougars, he hit .217 with 20 hits, three doubles, scored 14 runs, 16 RBI, five home runs, an OBP of .294, OPS of .729, and slugging .435 with three stolen bases.

“Robinson is both a physical specimen -- listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds -- and an impressive athlete who shows the makings of having average or better tools across the board.

“He has the type of prodigious right-handed power that could one day make him one of the game’s more revered sluggers, and he already applies it during games from line-to-line. Robinson also shows feel to hit, with plate discipline and contact skills that stand out for his age and experience.

“That hitting ability is the reason why scouts are so bullish about Robinson’s power potential, and he stands to make a major jump in that department as he learns to consistently hit the ball in the air,” said his profile analysis.

Thomas reached the highest prospect ranking of his career.

Last season with the Bristol Pirates, Thomas got the start on both opening day and in the regular season finale. He finished with a 2-3 win-loss record which also included 59 strikeouts - the most for any Bristol pitcher since 2012.

In 12 starts, he pitched 48.1 innings with a 3.17 ERA and 1.12 WHIP.

In the regular season finale, Thomas earned his second consecutive win on the mound, and clinched a playoff spot for Bristol in the regular season finale. Thomas allowed just one run on four hits over five innings with five strikeouts in the Pirates’ 4-2 win over the Danville Braves.

In 2018, Thomas was traded to the Pirates organisation from the Cleveland Indians alongside Erik Gonzalez and Dante Mendoza in exchange for Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff.

As a rookie he appeared in eight games (six starts) in the Rookie League and recorded a 4.58 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 27 strikeouts in 19.2 innings. The 19-year-old right-hander was assigned to the AZL Indians 1 in the Arizona Rookie League.

“At 6-foot-4, Thomas is an extremely athletic and projectable right-hander who has a long way to go before fulfilling his potential, considerable as it might be….Thomas is the epitome of a long-range project, but the feel for his stuff and his athleticism give him a chance to eventually get there as a starting pitcher.”

Chisholm started the last two games at shortstop for the Marlins in Spring Training and was listed at No.66 overall among the top 100 Prospects.

In the off-season, he was named to the Marlins’ 40 man roster, protecting him from the MLB’s Rule 5 Draft. He also played for Criollos de Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League.