Last night (April 20th) Hansel Robles and the Mets were tough-luck losers to the Phillies, as Peter Bourgos got a game-winning infield hit off of Robles to knock in Freddy Galvis from third. Robles had jumped ahead of Bourgos, 0-2, throwing a fastball-slider sequence to get the advantage. On the first-pitch fastball, third baseman David Wright just missed catching a foul pop that barely made it to the third base stands. Ahead in the count, curiously, d’Arnaud and Robles chose to go with a slider to Bourgos—he made them pay with a hard grounder down the third base line that Wright backhanded, but when he could not get enough on the throw to first, the Phillies sealed their come-from-behind win.
Seeing Robles toil on the mound and getting beat with his slider brought back memories of watching Robles pitch during the 2014 season at Binghamton. He was an instrumental reason in the B-Mets winning a championship in 2014, as he switch to the bullpen enabled him to add a few miles to his fastball. At Binghamton though, it was evident he was working on developing his slider. His inconsistency with the slider is perhaps the main thing keeping Robles from being an elite reliever at this early stage in his career. The following is an excerpt on Robles’ debut at NYSEG Stadium in 2014 from “Six More Wins: A Team, A Town, A Rebound, and a Championship.”
Robles celebrates getting a strikeout in the 2014 playoffs at Portland in Game 5.
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Only a few hours after Binghamtonians had digested the grand news from the big city over their morning cups of coffee, the Binghamton gates opened at 11:30 A.M., a half-hour earlier than usual for an Easter egg hunt for the young fans. The Mets would be on the road Easter Weekend, so the Easter Bunny was on hand today to get pictures taken with the toddlers and youngsters that were scrambling around the premises, looking for the pastel-colored plastic eggs placed in bushes and shrubbery down the left-field line.
The eggs from the Easter Bunny foreshadowed the goose eggs that Hansel Robles, the Mets’ 24-year-old right hander threw at the RubberDucks this afternoon. Robles was dominant, throwing five innings, giving up only two hits and striking out eight while walking one. Though Jack Leathersich and Chase Bradford each gave up two runs later in the game, the Mets held on for a 5-4 win. Robles’ deliveries ranged from 80 to 96 mph, with most of his deliveries settling in the 89-91 range.
Throughout the day Robles commanded both sides of the plate. He showed consistent late break on his fastball when he kept it low in the zone, as the Akron hitters were reaching and lunging for his outside pitches. Robles worked quickly and sprinkled in a few sliders and changeups while holding yesterday’s hero, Francisco Lindor, in check as Francisco struck out in the first and popped out to the catcher in the third.
Robles was a model of efficiency, working quickly, with no wasted time between pitches. After receiving the sign from Plawecki, Hansel simply rocked back, turned his right foot toward third and lifted his glove and hand to his chest before releasing the ball with a release point at about 10 o’clock.
In watching Robles dominate Akron this afternoon, fans wondered how Robles dropped from being Baseball America’s #12 prospect in the Mets’ organization entering 2013 without even making an appearance in the top 30 in the 2014 prospect rankings. Robles posted solid numbers last year in the minors, going 5-5 with a 3.78 E.R.A. and striking out 71 batters in 95 innings. Solid as these numbers were, however, they were a drop off from Hansel’s previous year. In 2012, Robles dominated the NY-PENN League, as he led the league in E.R.A. and was fifth in strikeouts.
2014 is critical for Robles, as he needs to reestablish his prospect status. Working against him is that youth is no longer on his side, as he’ll turn 25 in August. Also, he does not feature that one dominant pitch—his biggest strength is his command of the fastball, but skeptics are eager to point out that he will need more than fastball command to climb the baseball ladder. With a still-developing slider and a seldom-used changeup, scouts wonder what final form his secondary pitches will take. The relatively low release point he has effectively eliminates Robles from developing an above-average curveball, as a key for success with the curveball is a straight, over-the-top delivery. Finally, Robles’ short stature works against him—scouts like to see size in their pitchers, allowing them to throw on more of a downhill plane.
Those who saw Robles pitch on Sunday, however, came away impressed with his poise, fastball command, and most of all, his results. Robles’s season at Binghamton in 2014 will be an intriguing one; while Syndergaard and Montero are the current cornerstones of the New York Mets’ pitching prospects, and Steven Matz, at St. Lucie, is turning heads as well, Robles has a chance to be the Mets’ sleeper prospect of the year.
Robles throws with a low arm slot, preventing him from getting on top” of his curveball. Hence, the reliance on a slider for a breaking pitch.
Thumbnail Sketch in the Appendix:
Robles, Hansel. Right-handed starter/reliever. 2014 B-Mets Record: 7-6, 4.31. E.R.A. Born: 8/13/1990. The 5’ 11” inch Robles was inconsistent as a starter for the B-Mets in 2014, alternating between brilliant and bewildering. But once he became a reliever on July 19th, he excelled. By the end of the season he was entrenched as the setup man for closer Cody Satterwhite. Finished the season throwing 26 innings in relief, with 34 strikeouts and only 7 walks, pitching to a 1.38 E.R.A! He and Satterwhite were instrumental in the B-Mets’ 5-game winning streak in the post season. Added to the 40-man roster in November 2014, look for Robles to remain in the bullpen due to his dominance as a reliever in 2014.
Note: “Six More Wins” is available at discounted prices in such online retailers as BN.COM and AMAZON.COM
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