Tom Brennan - Majoring on the Minors: Top 30 Prospects - #14 Hansel Robles

MAJORING ON THE MINORS: TOP 30 PROSPECTS – # 14 HANSEL ROBLES - VOL.17 – Tom Brennan

I’m doing my Top 30 Prospects articles a bit differently – in 2 lists:

·       A top 10 list of lower minors guys who likely won’t show up until 2017 or later.  Series already done.  See list at end of this article.

·       Followed by my top 20 list of guys who are closing in on the big leagues.  Guys who could help in the near future or be trade bait.

Here is the list so far:

20.   Daniel Muno

19.   Michael Fulmer

18.   Miller Diaz

17.   Dario Alvarez

16.   Jayce Boyd

15.   Rob Whalen

Today, #14, and perhaps a surprise pick to many.

HANSEL ROBLES:    Who could not like a guy named Hansel?  Robles is a guy who greatly intrigued a lot of Met fan folks in 2012, when he posted 1.11 ERA in Brooklyn over 73 innings, with a 0.78 WHIP.

2013, though, led to some arm issues, which limited him to 95 fairly mediocre innings in Hi A ball.  In 2014, more mediocrity ensued in his starts through mid-July. 

At that point, Robles was showing no signs of "top prospect" status. 

But sometimes, a “Then” shows up.  Then, he was switched to the pen, which allowed him to up his velocity into the mid-90s.  The righty in 12 relief outings from mid-July to season’s end held hitters to a .159 average and .203 non-slugging %, with few runs allowed and 35% of his outs coming via the K.

OK, so now he has my attention.  Anything for an encore?  Can he stay hot in off-season baseball.  Yes, sir.

How about 11 1/3 innings of 3 hit, 3 walk, 1 run, 14 K ball?  OK, you won me over - looks like a major league pen arm to me.

So Hansel squeaks into a tough-to-make top 20 in my books.  Prove me right and follow in the footsteps of Jeurys Familia, who did the “struggle as a starter, kick rump as a reliever’ routine and is now a leading arm in the Mets’ pen.

MY TOP 10 LOWER MINORS LIST:

# 1 - Marcos Molina

#2 – Michael Conforto

#3 – Amed Rosario

#4 – Dominic Smith

#5 - Jhoan Urena

#6 – Vicente Lupo

#7 – Wuilmer Becerra

#8 – Luis Guillorme

#9 - Casey Meisner

#10 - Milton Ramos