Shane Robinson Stats & Scouting Report

AB	760
AVG	.221
OBP	.288
SLG	.292
HR	7

Full name Shane Michael Robinson
Born 10/30/1984 in Tampa, FL
Profile Ht.: 5'9" / Wt.: 170 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Florida State
Debut 05/07/2009
Drafted in the 5th round (166th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 (signed for $175,000).

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Evaluating Robinson divides scouts. One might say the productive outfielder is the best pound for pound player in the United States, while another tags him as a lefthanded Steve Stanley, saying Robinson's size and lack of strength will keep him from succeeding in pro ball. A football/baseball star at Tampa's Jesuit High, Robinson had started every game in his three seasons at Florida State. As a sophomore, he had a school-record 40-game hitting streak and became the only college player with 100 hits and 40 stolen bases in the same season, finishing with 122 hits, a .427 average and .532 on-base percentage to go along with a .987 fielding percentage. Robinson centers the ball consistently, spraying line drives to all fields with well-below-average power. He has good plate discipline and works counts well. He has good bat control and bunts well. He doesn't have exceptional bat speed and lacks the plate coverage to handle pitches on the outer half. He's a solid-average runner, with good instincts on the basepaths and in center field, where he's a solid-average defender. His arm is fringe-average but accurate, and his good technique upgrades his overall defensive package. Predictions of where Robinson will be drafted are as divergent as the opinions on how good he'll be. He won't likely be taken higher than the fourth round, in any case.

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Organization Prospect Rankings

Told often enough that he didn't have the size and strength to play in the majors and certainly didn't have the swing to get there, Robinson raised his hands, changed his stance and started trying to hit like the big bat he believed he had to be. At the start of spring training 2008, Springfield manager Pop Warner offered him an alternate route. Robinson shortened his swing, put his speed to work and let that carry him. Slashing line drives instead of trying to artificially create power with an exaggerated whip, Robinson hit .410/.451/.615 in April and dominated at Springfield to earn a promotion to Memphis. He turned every hit into a track meet. Robinson has plus speed, the kind that turns a single into a double and allows him to score easily from first on an extra-base hit. He has the range and smarts to play center, but can handle the corners as a middle-of-the-order outfielder must. His numbers slipped after a promotion to Memphis as he lost patience and struck out too much. The Cardinals sent him to the Arizona Fall League to work on his approach and he hit .280 in 107 at-bats, with just 13 strikeouts. His speed could be better utilized with an improved feel for stealing bases. He fits the profile of a spare, speedy outfielder and will play in center field this year at Triple-A.
Evaluations of Robinson entering the draft varied. Some scouts saw him as a valuable, onbase pest with an ability to play center field, while others had little interest, seeing him as a righthanded-hitting version of former Athletics minor leaguer Steve Stanley, without Stanley's speed. As a sophomore at Florida State in 2005, Robinson had a school-record 40- game hitting streak and became the only college player that year with 100 hits and 40 stolen bases, finishing with 122 hits, a .427 average and .532 on-base percentage. He was less productive as a junior (his OPS dropped nearly 200 points), fell to the fifth round and signed for $175,000. He had three hits in his pro debut in low Class A. Robinson is a slap hitter who tries to push the ball around the diamond. His lack of physical strength leaves him with below-average bat speed and well-below-average power. He has good plate discipline and works counts well. He handles the bat well and bunts effectively. He's a solid-average runner, with good instincts on the bases and in center field, where he's an average defender with fringy range. His arm is below-average but accurate. His slight frame lends little room for projection, and his best profile is as a second-hole hitter and center fielder. He'll have to prove he can hit power pitching at higher levels, starting in 2007 at Palm Beach.