Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #15 Tyler Robertson

Position: Pitcher

Bats/Throws: Left/Left

Born: December 23, 1987 (Simi Valley, California)

School: Bella Vista High School

Height: 6'5''

Weight: 220 lbs.

2009 Ranking: 10



Breakdown

Tyler Robertson was taken by the Twins in the third round of the 2006 draft. Despite having the potential to play college football, the Twins made Robertson's decision to play professional baseball easy with a $405,500 signing bonus. According to Rivals.com, Robertson received "medium" interest from schools like California, Nebraska and UCLA to play quarterback.

After signing quickly, Robertson threw 48 2/3 innings for the GCL Twins in 2006 and put up a a 4-2 record and 4.25 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts). Instead of sticking with their status quo and letting Robertson go to the Appalachian League in 2007, an injury forced the Twins to call-up Robertson to the Midwest League in late May. As a 19-year-old, he appeared in 18 games for the Snappers, winning nine. He would've finished second in the Midwest League with a 2.29 ERA but fell just short of qualifying.

Robertson quickly jumped to the top of the prospect rankings, appearing as the #1 prospect on Seth Stohs' post-season Top 50 Twins Prospect list. He moved up to the Florida State League in 2008 and continued to dominate his opposition with a 2.72 ERA in 15 starts. Unfortunately, he developed shoulder tendonitis and was shut down in July.

He came back healthy in 2009, but certainly wasn't as dominant as he was in the first-half of the 2008 season. Robertson was back in Ft. Myers, which was the best choice, and he threw 143 1/3 innings, 41 innings more than his previous career high with the Miracle. He had an 8-8 record and a 3.33 ERA in 26 starts.

Robertson is a built more like a quarterback than a pitcher, which probably doesn't mean a lot to most people; but when I see him throw, I can't stop thinking of him throwing a football instead of a baseball. His delivery is very unorthodox, albeit downright painful to watch, and could result in many arm problems in the future. He has a very projectable body, but he's lost about five mph from his fastball since high school.

Baseball America ranked Robertson as having the best curveball in the Twins system, but it's not his only 'plus' pitch. Robertson also has a good change-up and slider that he has also improved in recent years and is comfortable with throwing any pitch he has in his repertoire at anytime. He's been a starter up to this point in his career, but I've began to wonder if the Twins will try to protect his arm from any further injuries by moving him to the bullpen.

2009 Statistics

          Level      W     L     ERA      IP     K    BB     WHIP     FIP

          A+         8     6    3.33   143.1   103    51     1.32    3.10

2010 Outlook

Robertson will spend the entire season in Double-A New Britain in 2010. Depending on the amount of arms the Rock Cats have, he may be a candidate for the bullpen if their rotation is full.

Pitching Repertoire

• Fastball (86-90)
• Curveball
• Slider
• Change-up

Estimated Time of Arrival

2012

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