The 12 Days of Prospects

How Sem Robberse ended his 2022 campaign is how we should remember him as the calendar turns to 2023:

In his fifth AA start, Robberse dominated hitters from the Nationals’ Harrisburg affiliate. Six of his nine Ks were of the swinging variety; all but one came on offspeed pitches, which are really becoming his bread-and-butter. Over six innings, he allowed but 3 hits, 1 run (unearned), and the usually-around-the-plate Robberse gave up but one walk.

Prior to that start, Robberse had undergone a bit of a tough stretch since being promoted to AA in August. He wasn’t getting hit hard - save for one outing against a tough Portland lineup - but he was having his challenges facing hitters at the advanced level.

Robberse sits 92-94 with his fastball, and throws two sliders (both of which appeared to give Harrisburg hitters trouble in that 9K outing), as well as a change up. The player devo staff would like to bump him up to 93-95, because it would make his assortment of secondary pitches (which as a group are probably the best in the organization) that much more effective. Even without the higher octane fastball, Robberse is still notable for his mound presence, his ability to throw strikes, and his pitch economy. He’ll be spending his offseason close to the pitching lab at the player development complex in Dunedin, and that will likely only help him in the long run.

I’ve been following Sem for so long that it’s easy to forget that he only turned 21 in October. He came from a non-traditional baseball background, but you would never know it. Robberse is a young man of few words, but there’s a maturity and thoughtfulness to his speech that is unusual for someone his age. He has poise on and off the mound. At the risk of sounding like a recently-departed Jays broadcaster, he looks like a pitcher.

The question in the long term revolves around his ability to bump up that velo. Robberse has been passed by Ricky Tiedemann in the organization rankings, and Brandon Barriera may leapfrog over him this year as well, but he remains one of the best starting pitching prospects in the organization. It’s no secret that Ben Cherington and Steve Sanders in Pittsburgh are very familiar with Robberse from their days in the Blue Jays front office, and rumours seem to swirl every year that he’s bound for the Steel City. With Toronto seemingly still in need of another outfielder, one would think Robberse’s name is included with any trade discussions with the Bucs.

Looking ahead to 2023, it will be something of a “show me” season for Robberse, who will be Rule 5 eligible next December. He’s likely headed back to AA to start the season.