Bruce Philip Robinson (born April 16, 1954) is an American former professional baseball

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

. He played parts of three seasons from until and was on the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

disabled list during the 1981 and 1982 seasons. A first-round pick by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

in the

1975 Major League Baseball Draft The 1975 Major League Baseball draft took place prior to the 1975 MLB season. The draft saw the California Angels select Danny Goodwin first overall. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1975 Major League Base ...

, Robinson's career was derailed by an automobile accident while playing for the New York Yankees in 1980. He never returned to the majors, though he continued to play in the minor leagues in 1983, with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

AAA affiliate in Hawaii and in 1984 with the A's in Tacoma and Modesto. During that time, Robinson was a player-coach for the

Modesto A's Modesto ( ; ) is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,069 according to 2022 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it is the 19th-most populous city in California. Modesto is located ...

in , where he worked with future stars

Mark McGwire Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963), nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2001 for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Card ...

and

Jose Canseco José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). During his time with the Oakland Athletics, he established hims ...

Early years

Bruce Robinson was born in

La Jolla La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...

, California, a beach community within the city of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. After graduating from La Jolla High School in 1972, Bruce was chosen in the fourth round by the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

in the

1972 Major League Baseball draft The 1972 Major League Baseball draft took place prior to the 1972 MLB season. The draft saw the San Diego Padres select Dave Roberts first overall. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1972 Major League Baseba ...

, but elected to turn down their offer to attend

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

on a full baseball scholarship. Robinson received

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

recognition during both summer and college seasons at Stanford, breaking the university's single-season home run record in 1975. To this day, Robinson hit more home runs with a wooden bat in a single season than any other Stanford player. After finishing the school year at Stanford, Robinson joined the top summer collegiate program in the nation, the

Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks are a collegiate summer baseball team which was founded in 1960 as an independent barnstorming team. The Goldpanners were charter members of the Alaska Baseball League at the league's inception in 1974, but le ...

. There he played with dozens of players who went on to stardom in the Major Leagues, helping the Goldpanners win three consecutive national championships at the

National Baseball Congress National Baseball Congress World Series or NBC World Series is an annual collegiate and semi-pro baseball tournament held in Wichita, Kansas, United States. The next series will happen on July 24 to August 2, 2025. It will be held at Eck Stad ...

(NBC) Tournament in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

. Robinson's 1974 squad is widely acclaimed as the best amateur team ever assembled.

Professional baseball career

Bruce Robinson Yankee Stadium During National Anthem

A first-round pick in the

1975 Major League Baseball draft The 1975 Major League Baseball draft took place prior to the 1975 MLB season. The draft saw the California Angels select Danny Goodwin first overall. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1975 Major League Base ...

(21st choice overall), Robinson got most of his major league at-bats with the 1978 Oakland Athletics. After batting .299 with 10 home runs and 73 RBI in 102 games with the

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bail ...

in 1978, he received a mid-August call-up to the Major League club and hit .250 in 88 plate appearances over the final 28 games of the season.

Personal life

Robinson is also the father of Scott Robinson, an ambidextrous first baseman and catcher who played in the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

and

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

organizations, was league MVP with the

Macon Music The Macon Music were a short-lived minor league baseball team, based in Macon, Georgia. The club played its home games at Luther Williams Field, under manager Phil Plantier. A member of the South Coast League, Macon won the league's second half t ...

, and spent two years as a player-coach with the

River City Rascals The River City Rascals were a professional baseball team based in O'Fallon, Missouri, in the United States. The Rascals were a member of the West Division of the Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 1999 ...

References

External links

Official Website Bruce Robinson Music

Bruce Robinson Biography (Society of American Baseball Research)

Baseball Almanac Bruce Robinson

The history of the Robbypad and its journey to the National Baseball Hall of Fame

* ttps://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/robinbr02.shtml Baseball Reference Bruce Robinson
Catching Up With Bruce Robinson Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Bruce 1954 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from San Diego Chattanooga Lookouts players Columbus Clippers players Fort Lauderdale Yankees players Hawaii Islanders players Major League Baseball catchers Modesto A's players New York Yankees players Oakland Athletics players Sportspeople from La Jolla, San Diego San Jose Missions players Tacoma Tigers players Vancouver Canadians players Stanford Cardinal baseball players Singer-songwriters from California Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players