09/24/2017 - College PREP - Tacoma (Seattle), WA
Robert is a strong built C/RHP prospect who has a versatile skill set. Behind the plate, Robert has an effective setup and moves with quick actions. He receives the ball with soft hands and sticks to on the corners. Robert has a clean exchange and throws from a low 3/4 arm slot. His throws are accurate with strength down to 2B. He is quick to his knees when needing to block and maintains a good angle with his chest. Offensively, Robert has an athletic, tall setup with his weight in the front of his stance. He has smooth rhythm with an on-time stride as he uses his lower half throughout his swing. He has an upward swing path and is developing bat speed. Robert is a line drive type hitter. On the mound, Robert has a balanced, on-time delivery throwing from a 3/4 arm slot. He keeps his eyes direct and lands closed to home plate. Robert pivots off his backfoot and effectively uses his front side. He commands 3 pitches and his cutter shows late movement. Overall, Robert is a well-rounded prospect with an effective approach to the game on both sides of the ball.
06/24/2017 - Omaha National World Series - Session 2 (Ages 14-18)
Robert continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities. On the mound, arm strength has improved as he his top velocity to date at 74 mph with arm side run. Fastball showed a range of 71-74 mph with arm side run. Breaking ball displays 10/4 shape with gradual break. Stock on the mound will continue to rise as more arm strength is gained through a long toss program. Behind the plate, pop times have improved as he threw his lowest time at 2.20 and will continue to drop as he builds more arm strength through a long toss program. Mental makeup is a plus as he is extremely coachable and works hard to be the best player he can be.
11/10/2016 - Baseball Factory Select Training & Competition in Arizona
Robert continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities. Foot speed has improved as he ran his best 60 time to date. Behind the plate, feet are aggressive and active as he works in line to his target, through a clean transfer / exchange. Pop times showed in the 2.30 range with accuracy on his throws. Time will continue to improve as he builds more arm strength through a long toss program and increases foot quickness. Receiving / blocking tools show as playable skills as he continues to develop and get more reps. At the plate, he shows an athletic setup. Hands are loose and work through a level swing path. He works to stay inside the ball to utilize all fields through a line drive approach. Power will increase as he works to utilize his lower half more efficiently. At the event, he was 4 for 11 with 2 2B. On the mound, fastball showed a range of 67-69 mph with an 11/5 breaking ball. Stock on the mound will continue to rise as he builds more arm strength. Mental makeup is a plus as he is very coachable, is a hard worker, and a great team player.
06/27/2016 - College PREP - Bellevue (Seattle), WA
Robert continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities. At the plate is where he has improved the most, through an athletic setup. Hands are quick and work through a direct / level swing path. He shows a feel for the barrel with the baseball jumping off the bat when centered, displaying gap to gap power. Behind the plate, he threw his lowest pop time to date at 2.27. Feet are active as he gains ground and works in line to his target as he gets rid of the baseball quickly. Receiving / blocking skills show as playable tools as he continues to develop and get more reps. On the mound, fastball showed a range of 65-68 mph. Breaking ball displays 3/9 shape with across break. He maintains arm speed on his changeup with sinking action. Control is solid as he throws strikes with all his pitches. Getting on a long toss program will help to increase arm strength which will aid in his development on the mound.
06/23/2015 - National Tryout - Bellevue (Seattle), WA
Robert continues to work hard on his game. With the bat, this RHH shows a balanced approach as he waits for his pitch. He hits the ball where it's pitched spraying it to all parts of the field. Working to engage and drive his lower 1/2 more will help to increase pop off of the barrel. Behind the dish, Robert sits in well presenting a low target. Throws down to 2B are accurate coming from a clean transfer/exchange. Widening his base a little and working on his lateral slides will help to improve his skill-set behind the dish. On the mound, Whittle shows good rhythm/tempo and repeats his delivery well. FB now tops out at 68 mph as he works it to both sides of the plate. Changeup has some arm side run as it compliments his FB well. A 2018 grad - Robert is a hard worker who still has time to unlock his potential.
11/06/2014 - Baseball Factory Select Training & Competition in Arizona
Robert continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities. At the plate is where he has improved the most through a balanced setup. Hands are loose and work through a level swing path. He works to keep hands inside the ball, utilizing all fields through a line drive approach. Hitting grades will continue to improve as he works to get stride foot down sooner to work on time. Power grades will improve as he learns use his lower half more aggressively. Behind the plate, pop times showed in the 2.70 range with accuracy on his throws. Times will continue to drop as he builds more arm strength and works to get rid of the baseball quicker. Receiving / blocking skills show as playable tools as he continues to develop and gets more reps. On the mound, fastball showed a range of 62-65 mph with sinking action. Breaking ball displays 10/4 shape with gradual break. Stock on mound will continue to rise as he builds more arm strength, develop better off speed stuff and throws more strikes. Mental makeup is a plus as he plays with a lot of energy and is very coachable, working hard to be the best player he can be.
09/28/2014 - National Tryout - Bellevue (Seattle), WA
Robert continues to work hard on his game. Behind the plate, he tracks the ball into his mitt and sticks it, framing well. He hustles around pitches in the dirt and centers them off of his chest, keeping the ball in front. He has a clean exchange but will continue to lower pop times with increased arm strength. With the bat, this RHH shows a relaxed setup with balance. He is aggressive and connects with the ball, squaring it up. Loosing up his grip and keeping his head still during his swing will help his offensive abilities to improve. On the bump, Robert throws a FB, CH & Sinker from a 3/4 arm slot. He works to a controlled balance point and drives off, in-line toward his target. FB now tops out at 64 mph while he throws his changeup with FB arm speed. Only a 2018 grad - Robert has a ton of time to develop his skills.
11/07/2013 - Baseball Factory Select Training & Competition in Arizona (Ages 12-14)
Robert showed that he is truly a hard worker and made good adjustments over the weekend. Behind the plate, he displayed firm hands with a strong ready position receiving the ball. He can focus on his side-to-side movement blocking the ball but showed excellent improvements on day two willing to sacrifice his body for the ball. Working on speeding up the process during his exchange will help improve his pop times to second. On the mound, Robert displayed good tempo to his delivery with good finish with his chest over knee. He commanded the zone well with the fastball getting ahead of hitters early in the count. By work on keeping his front side closed using more glove side lead, his pitching grades will continue to improve. Offensively, Robert shows an aggressive approach with good plate discipline. He will need to continue to work on leveling his swing path out and finishing more with his lower half to improve hitting grades. Overall, Robert showed leadership type qualities and good work ethic which will help further his development as a player.
09/28/2013 - Interactive Video Program - Bellevue (Seattle), WA
Robert is a 2-way player as a C/RHP who has a good size frame. Behind the plate, he maintains a solid base and sits in well. He shows decent flexion and moves to get around the ball well. On the bump, this RHP has a 3-pitch mix coming from a 3/4 arm slot. He gets good torque from his hips and drives off the mound toward the plate. Offensively, Robert shows a crouched setup and leg lift type load. He lets the ball travel into the zone and hits it where it's pitched. Overall abilities will improve with work on the following.
Catching
1. Exchange
2. Arm strength
Pitching
1. Work in-line
2. Eyes on target
3. Off-speed
Offense
1. Lower 1/2
2. Extension
3. Keep front side in