Derrick Lamar Robinson (born September 28, 1987) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

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

in 2013.

Playing career

Kansas City Royals

Robinson was drafted by the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

in the fourth round, with the 107th overall selection, of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. He spent 2008 with the High-A

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. Fra ...

, playing in 124 games and hitting .246/.317/.322 with no home runs, 34 RBI, and 62 stolen bases. Following the season, Robinson was named Kansas City's baserunner of the year. Robinson spent the 2010 season with the Double-A

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. T ...

, playing in 127 games and hitting .286/.345/.380 with two home runs, 48 RBI, and 50 stolen bases. On November 19, 2010, the Royals added Robinson to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Robinson was named the left-fielder for the 2012 Minor League Rawlings Gold Glove Award team. On November 20, 2012, Robinson was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

after multiple prospects were added to the 40-man roster. On November 30, the Royals non-tendered Robinson, making him a free agent.

Cincinnati Reds

On December 20, 2012, Robinson signed a minor league contract with the

organization. On April 3, 2013, the Reds selected Robinson's contract after he made the team's

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster. In 102 appearances for Cincinnati during his rookie campaign, he batted .255/.322/.323 with no home runs, eight RBI, and four stolen bases. Robinson was designated for assignment following the signing of

Skip Schumaker Jared Michael "Skip" Schumaker ( ; born February 3, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and second baseman, coach, and manager who recently managed the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2023 to 2024. H ...

on November 26. On December 2, the Reds non-tendered Robinson, making him a free agent. On February 26, 2014, it was announced that Robinson would miss the entirety of the 2014 season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Washington Nationals

On January 23, 2015, Robinson signed a minor league contract with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

. In 93 appearances split between the Double-A

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on Cit ...

and Triple-A

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

, he batted .249/.315/.266 with no home runs, 21 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. Robinson elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Sioux City Explorers

On May 17, 2016, Robinson signed with the

Sioux City Explorers The Sioux City Explorers are a professional baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are inaugural members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseba ...

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. In 84 games for Sioux City, Robinson batted .313/.393/.397 with two home runs, 36 RBI, and 31 stolen bases.

York Revolution

On April 12, 2017, Robinson signed with the

York Revolution The York Revolution is an American professional minor-league baseball team based in York, Pennsylvania. It is a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Basebal ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. In 41 appearances for the Revolution, he batted .225/.301/.271 with no home runs, nine RBI, and seven stolen bases. Robinson became a free agent following the season.

Kansas City Royals (second stint)

On May 28, 2019, Robinson signed a minor league contract with the

. He did not play in a game for the organization and elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Coaching career

Robinson joined the

organization as a baseball operations intern for the 2020 season. Robinson remained with the organization in 2021 as an outfield, baserunning, and bunting coordinator.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Derrick 1987 births Living people African-American baseball players Cincinnati Reds players Arizona League Royals players Burlington Bees players Wilmington Blue Rocks players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente outfielders Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Louisville Bats players Surprise Rafters players Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players Syracuse Chiefs players Major League Baseball outfielders Venados de Mazatlán players Estrellas Orientales players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Harrisburg Senators players Sioux City Explorers players Yaquis de Obregón players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico York Revolution players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen