#24 BILL ROBINSON
Outfield
What came befrore: Signed as an 18-year-old, the Pennsylvania native worked his way through the bushes: Dublin, Ga. (where he enjoyed a turnaround season), Eau Claire, Waycross, Yakima and finally Atlanta as a member of the final Crackers roster, in 1965.
That 1966 season: He spent 1966 patiently waiting his turn at the Braves' new Class AAA club in Richmond, which was a powerhouse of a team. He hit 20 homers and led them with 79 RBIs. He was rewarded on Sept. 20, when he made his MLB debut, then went 3-for-11 with a pair of RBIs. But the Braves had a chance to acquire one of the best third basemen in baseball, and sent Robinson and Chi Chi Olivo to the Yankees in November for Clete Boyer.
What happened next: Robinson was nothing special for the Yankees, hitting a mere .206 over three seasons, as pressure was on every young player to replace the just-retired Mickey Mantle. Once he was sent down, he languished in the minors for two full seasons before the Phillies gave him the chance of a lifetime. Beginning in 1972 at age 29, he found his stride, topping 20 home runs once with the Philliews and three times with the Pirates. He hit 24 homers at the age of 36 and batted .283 a year later as he continued to contribute. The Phillies eventually brought him back, as he hit .250 at the age of 39, and he wrapped his belated major league career as a 40-year-old in 1983.
Released by the Phillies in June of 1983, the Mets jumped at having Robinson as a coach, and he was added the following seanto manager Davey Johnson's staff. He was with the Mets until 1989, then after years of working numerous minor league jobs in baseball, with a break working as a TV analyst for ESPN, turned to the majors as hitting coach for the Marlins from 2002-05.
Robinson was just 64 when he passed away in 2007 in Las Vegas. Found dead in his hotel room, the cause wasn't immediately known, although he had been struggling with diabetes. He was working as a hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers and was in town to work with the club's Class AAA hitters, and after batting practice, he complained of chest pains and went back to his room to rest. In front of his body, an open Bible was found.
