Arizona Diamondbacks: Interview with D-Backs Prospect Kristian Robinson

The Arizona Diamondbacks seem to have found a very interesting prospect tandem from the Bahamas in Jazz Chisholm and Kristian Robinson. Chisholm has got the bulk of the prospect hype in the past year or so, but Robinson is just one short summer into his professional baseball career.

At the age of 16, the D-Backs scout Cesar Geronimo helped sign Robinson to a signing bonus of $2.55 million. He signed on July 2nd, the first day of the International Signing Period, which shows the level of interest that the two parties had in each other.

At 6’3″, nearly 200 pounds, Robinson has all the tools to make it to the Bigs one day, but the D-Backs will take their time with him to let him develop and mature. Robinson is already moving through the system at a good pace. He moved up to short-season rookie ball in Missoula last summer after two months in the Arizona Rookie League.

The most impressive part of Robinson’s summer was how he got better after being promoted to short-season ball. This is a really small sample size because he only played in Rookie Ball, but his power showed up with 7 homers and 41 RBI. It will be interesting to watch how he progresses with making contact as 67 strikeouts in 57 games isn’t great. Chisholm has experienced similar issues with striking out as well with 149 K’s in 112 games in 2018, so 2019 will be a big year for them as they try to cut down on their K-rate.

For Chisholm, his age 18 season was spent entirely in Missoula, and his age 19 season was shortened by injury but spent in Full Season A Ball in Kane County. It will be interesting to see where Robinson starts, but it safe to assume that he will see some type of action in Full Season A Ball at some point this summer.

As you can see in the video, Robinson is a dynamic athlete with good, quick hands at the plate. I see a little of Mookie Betts in his stance and loading action, and I also see similarities to Austin Jackson with his size and swing.

We were able to get in touch with Kristian, and we wanted to give D-Backs fans a glimpse into his personality. Here are some questions that we asked him so we could get to know him a little better on and off the field:

SSH: What’s your favorite movie?

KR: Spider-Man (2002)

What kind of music do you listen to?

Pop and Rap

Do you have any other hobbies?

I love watching Law & Order SVU, other crime related shows

What is your favorite thing to do in Arizona?

Tuesday movies at Roadhouse Cinemas and midnight dining at Denny’s with my girlfriend, Kali

What is your go-to place to eat in Arizona?

ATL Wings

What’s you baseball pet peeve?

Baseball pants that aren’t short cut or pulled up but aren’t completely down to the ankle.

What’s your favorite baseball memory growing up?

Hitting a home run in a little league championship game. Was the last year my dad coached me before he stopped coaching.

What stadium do you look forward to playing in the most?

Chase Field right now lol

Who was your favorite team growing up?

New York Yankees

Who was your favorite player growing up?

Josh Hamilton

Who had the biggest impact on your baseball career?

My dad. Continually teaching me how to conduct myself as a pro on and off the field.

If you watch football, who is your pick in the Super Bowl?

Gotta go with Brady and the Pats.

 

Thanks to Kristian for letting us get a glimpse into his life, and we hope for nothing but the best this season and throughout your entire career!