This column focuses mostly on prospects. Today’s subject, Will Robertson, is only tenuously in that category because A) he’s 27 and B) he made his Blue Jays debut last night. Better late than never, though, and there are things going on with him this season that I do think are interesting.
Before I start, though, a hat tip to Matt W. He’s had half an eye on Robertson for years while I’d basically written him off. The fact that he’s even gotten a cup of coffee in the show proves Matt was onto something.
Robertson was drafted in the 4th round of the 2019 draft out of Creighton University, where he played briefly with future Blue Jays teammate Alan Roden. He impressed in his debut with what was then Short Season A ball Vancouver, but after the pandemic layoff he scuffled in his return to what was now High A Vancouver. He had a similarly hard time in 2022, now at AA New Hampshire, posting strikeout rates in the 28% range and walking less than 8% of the time. He hit for a little power, but it wasn’t enough to bring his line to league average. He fared better repeating the level in 2023, upping his walk rate to 9.7% and trimming his strikeouts to 26.5% while upping his power production to 19 home runs in 103 games and a .242 isolated power mark. By this point, though, he was 25 and only a fringe prospect. His struggles returned last year with his promotion to Buffalo. He upped his walks again, to 10.8%, with the help of the automated strike zone, but his K rate shot up to 31.3% and his line again fell below league average.
Things took a dramatic turn in 2025, though. His walk rate soared to 16.8% while his 24.1% strikeout rate was his lowest in six years, and his ISO jumped to a career best .295, all of which combined to make him one of the best hitters in the International League.
There are a few things driving this breakout. Most simply, his power has taken a step forward. He’s reached a max exit velocity of 114.8mph this season, up almost 3mph from his high last year. That mark would be among the top 30 in MLB and tied with player like Manny Machado and Sal Perez. He’s also raised his launch angle from 10 to 15 degrees. Robertson has always been a pull oriented hitter, so hitting balls higher and farther means more of them go over the right field fence.
He’s also become significantly more selective. Robertson has always gotten his hacks in, with swing rates well above 50%. This year he’s dropped that to 46.7%, which is around average. I’ve noticed several Jays players who have adopted more passive approaches this season, including Vladimir Guerrero jr, Bo Bichette and Andres Gimenez among others. That makes me wonder whether it’s an organizational point of emphasis this year. This doesn’t mean that hitters are developing better plate discipline per se, because they’re swinging at fewer strikes too. Rather I think it might represent an emphasis on selectivity even at the cost of running deeper counts. In Robertson’s case it’s resulted in many more walks without a concomitant increase in strikeouts, so it seems to be an improvement.
Finally, Robertson has upped his contact rate significantly. He typically hovered around 71% in the low minors, dipping down to 67% last season in AAA. In 2025 that’s jumped up to 74.2%, with an 84.9% rate inside the strike zone. He’ll never be a good contact hitter, but the improvement takes him from bottom of the barrel to merely below average.
I think the change relates to an effort to dial down his swing. Previously, his swing had a bat wrap (meaning the barrel was wrapped behind his head with the tip almost facing the pitcher when he started bringing it forward) and used a leg kick for timing. That made his swing long, which can be good for generating power but makes making contact harder. Robertson doesn’t possess exceptional bat speed, so he could either be beaten with fastballs or struggle to adjust to off speed. You can see that version of his swing in this video from the 2023 Arizona fall league.
More recently, he’s starting with the bat a little more upright and has trimmed the leg kick into more of a toe tap. You can see recent video here, or I guess just watch a Jays game now. The simpler swing makes him a little quicker to the ball. You can see the effectiveness in his performance against fastballs. When swinging at pitches over 95mph last season, he made contact 71% of the time. In 2025 that jumped to 83%. If he can now handle MLB quality heat, he’ll have a chance for his power to play at the top level. Based on his excellent 53.6% hard hit rate and aforementioned jump in max exit velocity, the change isn’t taking anything away from that power either.
Robertson is a sturdy looking 6’1” and 215lbs. He’s a below average runner who’s limited to the corner outfield spots defensively. That puts a high bar on his offensive production if he’s going to hold onto an MLB job. The changes he’s made this year raise the possibility of him having enough impact to do so. He fits best as the lefty half of an outfield platoon. That can be a valuable role, though, and left handed power is always in demand in the major leagues.