| Bill Robinson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born:(1943-06-26)June 26, 1943 McKeesport, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| Died: July 29, 2007(2007-07-29) (aged 64) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 20, 1966, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 23, 1983, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .258 |
| Home runs | 166 |
| Runs batted in | 641 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
William Henry Robinson, Jr. (June 26, 1943 – July 29, 2007) was anAmerican professionalbaseballoutfielder, who played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from1966 to1983, for several teams. He also played some first and third base. Robinson batted and threw right-handed.
After his playing days ended, Robinson moved on to a successfulcoaching career. He is cited as having been a key mentor inDarryl Strawberry's career,[1] as well as several other young players he coached with theNew York Mets.
Robinson collected threeWorld Series rings, with the1979Pittsburgh Pirates as a player, and as a coach for both the1986 Mets and2003Florida Marlins.
Robinson (Jr.) was born inMcKeesport, Pennsylvania to William Sr. and Nellie Mae Robinson. He starred inbasketball as well asbaseball atElizabeth Forward High School, and received a basketball scholarship offer fromBradley University. However, Robinson chose baseball over basketball, and signed with the Milwaukee Braves, upon graduation in June, 1961.
After six seasons in the Braves'farm system, in which he batted .298, with 69home runs, and 339runs batted in (RBI), Robinson made his MLB debut for the newly-relocatedAtlanta Braves on September 20,1966, pinch running forHank Aaron, and staying in the game inright field.[2] He got his firsthit in his first start, September 25, against the Pirates. With the Braves leading 4-2, Robinson hit an RBIsingle offAl McBean, driving him out of the game.[3] For the season, he collected three hits, including onetriple, in elevenat bats, and drove in threeruns. Following his only big-league season inAtlanta, Robinson andpitcherChi-Chi Olivo were dealt to theNew York Yankees forthird basemanClete Boyer.
Robinson impressed upon arrival with his new franchise, receiving the James P. Dawson Memorial Award from Yankees sportswriters for the outstanding rookie inSpring training1967,[4] and homering in the regular-season opener.[5] Things soon went south for the man who was expected to replaceRoger Maris in right field. By the end of the first month of the season, he lost his starting job in right toSteve Whitaker, and was relegated tofourth outfielder duties. Following an 0-for-3 performance against theKansas City A's on May 31, 1967, Robinson'sbatting average fell to a season-low .101.[6] By season's end, hedid manage to raise his average to .196, with seven home runs, and 29 RBIs.
Robinson remained the Yankees' fourth outfielder throughout1969, before spending the entire1970 season with theInternational LeagueSyracuse Chiefs. He was sent from theYankees to theChicago White Sox forBarry Moore on December 3, 1970.[7]
Robinson spent the1971 season in the White Sox organization, batting .275, with fourteen home runs, and 81 RBIs for the AAATucson Toros. That December 13, he was dealt to the Phillies for minor leaguecatcher Gerardo Rodriguez. Tearing up thePacific Coast League with a .304 batting average, twenty home runs, and 66 RBIs, Robinson received a call up to Philadelphia in June1972. Again a fourth outfielder, Robinson made 82 appearances, and displayed decent power, clubbing eight home runs in 188 at bats.
Robinson's breakthrough came in1973. Platooning withMike Anderson in right field, while occasionally playing center and left, and making fourteen appearances at third base, he batted .288, with 25 home runs, and 65 RBIs. However, Robinson's numbers dipped drastically in1974, and just as the1975 season was set to begin, he was dealt to the Pirates forWayne Simpson.
During the1975 season, Robinson batted .280, and reached the post season for the first time in his career. He went hitless in two at bats, as the Pirates were swept byCincinnati's "Big Red Machine" in the1975 National League Championship Series.[8]
With the superstaroutfield ofRichie Zisk,Al Oliver, andDave Parker, PiratesmanagerDanny Murtaugh experimented with Robinson atthird base in1976 despite his limited experience at the position. On June 5, Robinson hit two home runs againstSan Diego PadresCy Young Award-winning pitcherRandy Jones. When the game went intoextra innings, Robinson hit a third home run in the fourteenth inning offDave Freisleben.[9]
Between the four positions, Robinson made 416plate appearances, and batted over .300 with 21 home runs to win theRoberto Clemente Memorial Award from the Pittsburgh sportswriters.[10]
Starting third basemanRichie Hebner signed as afree agent with the Phillies after the season, and Robinson went into Spring training1977 preparing to take over the position. However, shortly into Spring training, the Pirates completed an eight-player trade with theOakland Athletics that broughtPhil Garner to Pittsburgh,[11] with the intention to shifting him from second to third base.
Injuries to teammates kept Robinson in the lineup despite his not having a regular position. An injury toWillie Stargell had Robinson playingfirst base for most of the first half of the season.[12] He responded by batting .305, with ten home runs, and 46 RBIs heading into theAll-Star break. Despite these impressive numbers, Robinson's name was kept off the1977 Major League Baseball All-Star Game ballot, owing largely to his not having a regular position. Feeling snubbed, he vowed not to participate in the mid-summer classic atYankee Stadium even ifNational League managerSparky Anderson selected him as a reserve.[13]
His hot hitting continued after the break. Over the rest of the month of July, Robinson batted .367 with four home runs and seventeen RBIs to pull within a game and a half of the first-place Phillies. For the season, he put up career highs in home runs (26), RBIs (104), batting average (.304) and runs (74).
On December 8, 1977, the Pirates, Mets,Texas Rangers, and Atlanta Braves completed a four-team, eleven-player trade that sent Oliver to the Rangers. This opened up a starting job for Robinson in left field, withJohn Milner (acquired from the Mets in the same deal) assuming the job of fourth outfielder and backupfirst baseman. Though his production fell off considerably in1978, he was third on the Pirates in home runs (14) and RBIs (80) to Parker and Stargell in both cases.
After having finished second to the Phillies in theNational League East for the previous three seasons, the"We Are Family" Pirates of1979 engaged in a season-long battle with theMontreal Expos for the division. The season came down to a four-game set atThree Rivers Stadium, September 24 to 26. The Expos came to Pittsburgh a half game up on the Pirates, and kept that half game lead with the split of adoubleheader on the 24th. Robinson was the hitting star of the game one win, with a home run, triple and three RBIs.[14] For the series, he batted .400 to help his team take three of the four games, and capture first place. The Pirates clinched the division to head to the1979 National League Championship Series against theCincinnati Reds on the final day of the season. Robinson, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning,singled with the bases loaded in his only at bat to drive in the two deciding runs in the Pirates' 5-3 victory over theChicago Cubs.[15]
The Pirates exacted some revenge for the 1975 NLCS, this time sweeping the Reds in three games[16] to head to theWorld Series against theBaltimore Orioles. Robinson went five for nineteen, with two RBIs and two runs scores in the Pirates' stunning come from behind World Series victory.[17]
Prior to the1980 season, Robinson was nearly dealt to theHouston Astros,[18] as he was 36 years old and beginning to show his age. Injuries, and the emergence ofMike Easler as a younger, better option in left, limited Robinson to just 69 starts, mostly at first base. He saw even less action in thestrike-shortened1981 season, batting just .216 in twenty starts.
On June 15,1982, Robinson was traded back to the Phillies, in a three-team deal that landed the PiratesWayne Nordhagen from the White Sox.[19] Splitting time withGeorge Vukovich andDick Davis in right field, Robinson performed decently in his limited role, batting .261 with three home runs. His role diminished further in1983, and he was released on June 9, with a .143 batting average.
| Games | PA | AB | Runs | Hits | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | HBP | Avg. | Slg. | Fld% |
| 1472 | 4730 | 4364 | 536 | 1127 | 229 | 29 | 166 | 641 | 71 | 263 | 820 | 16 | .258 | .438 | .980 |
Shortly after retiring as an active player, Robinson accepted a job as hitting instructor (a title he insisted on being called as opposed to the more common term "batting coach") for incoming managerDavey Johnson's Mets. His players, most notablysecond basemanWally Backman and outfielderKevin Mitchell, affectionately called him "Uncle Bill."
During his tenure with the team, Robinson also managed theCaracas Lions of theVenezuelan Professional Baseball League,[20] in order to gain experience that would make him a more attractive candidate for MLB teams looking to fill managerial vacancies.[21] After the Mets unceremoniously dropped him following the1989 season, he gave up his managerial dream, and signed to broadcast baseball games forESPN.[22]
In1992, Robinson returned to the managing ranks, leading theSan Francisco Giants'AA affiliate,[23] theShreveport Captains to a 77-59 record, and first place in theTexas League's Eastern Division. He also managed the AAEastern LeagueReading Phillies in1996. Robinson also served as a minor league hitting coach for the Yankees and was a minor league coach and manager in the Phillies' farm system.[13]
Robinson died on July 29, 2007, at age 64 in aLas Vegas hotel room; the cause of death is unknown, although he was known to be suffering from diabetes. Robinson had been working as theLos Angeles Dodgers' minor league hitting coordinator, and had been visiting theirAAA affiliateLas Vegas 51s, when he died. He was survived by his wife, Mary Alice, a son, and a daughter.[24]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |