High-energy Robles reports early, will get chance to lead off

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - He came bounding through the doors around 8:30 a.m., announcing his presence with authority in an otherwise sleepy clubhouse partially filled with pitchers and catchers.

Position players are not required to report to Nationals camp until Monday, but a handful have already found their way here, staying mostly quiet and staying mostly out of the way. Victor Robles, however, wasn't worried about letting everybody know he's here. And he's ready to go.

"I was having a nice quiet morning ... coffee, reading a little bit," manager Davey Martinez said. "He just came in really loud. I said: 'What are you doing here? I'm not supposed to see you until Monday. Come back Monday.' "

Robles wouldn't know how to keep himself from reporting early. And he certainly wouldn't know how to keep himself quiet. The 22-year-old outfielder simply doesn't have that gear in him.

"That's who he is," Martinez said. "He brings a lot of energy. I love him. He's just that kind of kid. Actually, all kidding aside, I'm excited that he's here and I'm excited that he's ready to go. He looks great. He's excited to be here."

The Nationals envision big thing from Robles this year. He impressed as a rookie, with 17 homers, 33 doubles and 28 stolen bases to go along with some of the best defensive metrics in the majors. Now they see an opportunity for even bigger things during his sophomore season.

"The sky's the limit," Martinez said. "He has so much potential, so many tools. Last year, I thought he did great. He should have won a Gold Glove, in my opinion. He did all the things we needed him to do. I think he gets overshadowed because of Juan Soto being so young and doing what he did. He did phenomenal. He made some unbelievable strides, and we hope that he continues to make those strides here soon in the near future."

Robles spent the vast majority of his rookie season batting at the bottom of the Nationals lineup. Now with Anthony Rendon gone, they need to make some lineup adjustments and find some new faces for the top of the order.

If Trea Turner moves into the No. 3 spot - something Martinez has admitted he is considering - Robles may well find himself batting leadoff.

"I'd like to see him move up, but we'll see how it plays out," the manager said. "Right now, you've still got Trea, you've still got Adam Eaton. Those two guys, for me, they get things going, 1-2. Obviously we're in search for a third hitter, but we've got options. We could mess around with that a little bit, so we'll see what happens."

Though Robles may strike some as too free of a swinger to bat at the top of a lineup, he did it through most of his minor league career, when he compiled a .392 on-base percentage. It will require some adjustment to his approach to be successful at the big league level, but Martinez believes the young outfielder has the ability to do it.

"We want him to be aggressive, but we want him to be aggressive in the strike zone and kind of stay within himself," the manager said. "That's something we talked to him (about) last year when he left, and I know that (hitting coach Kevin Long) is going to harp on it this year. Be aggressive in the strike zone, take your walks. Because for me, when he walks, it's a double, it's a triple. And when he gets on base, good things happen."