Who is the real Robbie Grossman?

Last season, Robbie Grossman took the minor leagues by storm. He was the first minor league player to score at least 100 runs and walk at least 100 times in a season since Nick Swisher did it back in 2004. He was named the Pirates minor league player of the year and followed it up by earning a spot in the Rising Stars game of the talent-rich Arizona Fall League (AFL). His patient approach has earned raves from Keith Law of ESPN and he began showing up in some of the preseason prospect rankings lists.

His future Pirates career didn't always look so rosy, though. After the Pirates took Grossman in the 6th round of the 2008 draft and gave him an over-slot bonus of $1 million, Grossman struggled in his first two full seasons in the minors. He did not hit for a high average, did not show the same patient approach and displayed almost no power.

In 2011, his breakout year, he was repeating hi-A for the second full season. Naturally, when a breakout comes while a player is repeating a level, it creates a fair number of skeptics. That's why Grossman's performance in the AFL and beyond was so important. Shortly after the Rising Stars game, Grossman broke his hamate bone and was forced to shut it down. He was ready for spring training, but that kind of injury usually saps a players power for awhile. What it shouldn't sap, however, is his ability to get on base. Yet, 2012 began poorly. His struggles culminated in an undisclosed incident that landed Grossman a week-long suspension.

Then, suddenly, everything changed. Grossman returned from his suspension on a tear and hasn't stopped. Since his suspension in June, he's hit .327/.462/.535 in just over 100 at-bats and has reached base in 24 straight games. It has been a remarkable turnaround and has Pirates fans once again penciling Grossman into their 2014 lineups.

Still, the question remains: who is the real Robbie Grossman? The one that struggled for more than half of his time in the minors, or the one who has been on a tear since early June and has looked like last year's minor league player of the year? Though this kind of Jekyll and Hyde performance can be maddening, it's not terribly unusual for a prospect, especially one drafted out of high school. Remember when Jameson Taillon had a month to forget earlier this year? It's part of the development process. It's part of making adjustments. Grossman is only 22. Those first couple of years in the system his body was still developing. He was also often playing against college kids 3 or 4 years older than him. And the adjustment to AA can be difficult. Pedro Alvarez has had trouble making quick adjustments at every level of his professional career. Now, he's hitting bombs into the Allegheny.

There's every reason to be optimistic about Robbie Grossman. Sure, he's a bit of a "tweener", meaning he probably won't stick in center field, but doesn't flash the kind of power you'd look for in a corner bat; but, that doesn't mean he can't be a quality everyday player in the big leagues. He displays very advanced on-base skills, has some speed and has developing power. Those are qualities any team would want in a player. In fact, don't be surprised if you hear his name come up more than once before the July 31st trading deadline...but that's a topic for another day.