Kristian Robinson Continues to Acclimate to Pro Ball

The Diamondbacks' lowest full-season affiliate are the Visalia Rawhide, who has been their longest tenured affiliate (2007). The California League is one of the more hitter-friendly environments, considering the weather and quality of competition. For prospects, you want to see them put up strong numbers.

Hitters

Kristian Robinson returned to affiliated bal for the first time since September 2019 just a little over a month ago. In his first 28 games he is hitting .243 with three home runs and a .737 OPS. The main issue with his bat is the swing-and-miss, as Robinson has struck out in nearly a third of his plate appearances. That limits the impact on his power tool as well as his batting average, with fewer balls put into play. One encouraging sign is he has a walk rate above 10%. It will take some time for Robinson to get fully acclimated to pro pitching, so he'll need to cut down on the strikeouts as the season progresses.

Christian Cerda is an interesting prospect behind the plate. His walk rate is 17% compared to a 21% strikeout rate, which has helped him reach base at a .398 clip. There is a bit of a concern for players who have a high strikeout and walk rate in the low minors, as it suggests a more passive approach at the plate.

Pitchers

Ricardo Yan continues to be the most interesting arm in Visalia. In 13 starts he has a 4.50 ERA and a 73/25 strikeout to walk ratio. He utilizes a low three-quarters arm slot, which causes his fastball to have a lot of tailing action. With the combination of a sinker-slider mix to go with that arm slot, right-handed hitters are hitting .175 and .537 OPS against him. He profiles more as a right-handed middle relief option who best plays in a matchup role.

Jacob Steinmetz continues to struggle with consistency on the mound, as the 19-year-old right-hander has a 6.04 ERA and a 41/30 strikeout to walk ratio in 12 starts. At 6'6" with a vertical fastball and a big breaking ball, he has the type of stuff that plays more in relief than starting but the team will continue to give him starting reps.