Victor Robles was supposed to be the guy.
Signed by the Nationals as an international free agent in 2013, Robles debuted for the DSL Nationals in 2014 at 17 years old. Robles first entered MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects in 2016 at No. 10.
From there he started climbing the ranks, making his MLB debut in 2017 as the No. 3 prospect in baseball as a September callup.
In 2018, he was extended an invite to Spring Training as the No. 4 prospect.
After experiencing much success over the past few years in the Minors and getting his feet wet with the Major League club, Robles was expecting to make a big splash in 2018.
However, after starting the 2018 season in Triple-A Syracuse, Robles hyperextended his elbow while attempting a diving catch on April 9. While no surgery was required, the injury derailed his expected timeline to make an impact at the big league level.
With Robles on the shelf, the Nationals called up Juan Soto, who began 2018 at Class A, and, well, we know how that turned out.
Robles was once again called up in September, but only appeared in 21 games, few enough to still be classified as a "prospect."
And after all that, Victor Robles was still supposed to be the guy.
Robles received another invite to Spring Training in 2019, where he slashed .321/.431/.509 with 10 RBI, seven SB and more walks (10) than strikeouts (9) in 22 games.
This time after camp broke, he left no doubt as to who the starting center fielder for the 2019 Washington Nationals would be.
Robles appeared in the Nats' Opening Day lineup as the No. 9 hitter, a spot he's been able to find success in as the ipso facto second leadoff hitter with Adam Eaton hitting behind him.
Over the first four weeks of the season, Robles has shown us why he was labeled a five-tool player as a prospect. He's hitting .286 with 11 XBH and five stolen bases in 23 games, already exceeding his total number of games played in 2018. Oh, and he's already flashed the 70-grade arm that baserunners should be reluctant to test.
On April 16, Victor Robles was able to graduate from prospect status after his 130th at bat. Victor Robles is still supposed to be the guy. And now, he's finally able to show he can be the guy at the Major League level.