Jeff Robinson (starting pitcher)

Jeffrey Mark Robinson (December 14, 1961 – October 26, 2014) was an American right-handed pitcher who spent six seasons from 1987 to 1992 in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Detroit Tigers (1987–1990), Baltimore Orioles (1991), Texas Rangers (1992) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1992).

Professional career

Robinson was drafted out of Christian High School, El Cajon, California, by the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventeenth round (419th overall) in 1979 and the San Diego Padres in the fortieth round (817th overall) in 1980. Instead of signing a professional baseball contract out of high school, Robinson chose college and played both basketball and baseball at Azusa Pacific Christian College (now Azusa Pacific University). He did not sign a professional contract until being selected by the Tigers in the third round (69th overall) of the 1983 Major League Baseball Draft. He spent the next three seasons in the Tigers' minor league system before making the major league club out of spring training in .

In his first season in the majors, Robinson appeared in the 1987 ALCS as a member of the Tigers against the Minnesota Twins. He pitched to two batters in Game 5, giving up a run-scoring double to Greg Gagne before getting Kirby Puckett to ground out to end the top of the 9th inning. Robinson's best season came in , his second season in the major leagues, when he won 13 games, and finished with a 2.98 ERA. Robinson spent three more seasons in Detroit, compiling a record of 36–26, with a 4.65 ERA.

He was traded by the Tigers to the Baltimore Orioles for Mickey Tettleton on January 12, . Robinson was 4–9 with a 5.18 ERA and failed to complete five innings eight times in nineteen starts with the Orioles. After only one winning decision in his last 11 starts, he was optioned to the Rochester Red Wings in a July 30 transaction that also included the promotion of Mike Mussina to the majors. Irate over the demotion, Robinson went 1–2 with a 6.43 ERA in eight games for the Red Wings before a hip injury ended his season on August 21. He was released by the Orioles on November 13, 1991.Baker, Kent. "Orioles put Jeff Robinson on waivers," ''The Baltimore Sun'', Thursday, November 14, 1991.
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Robinson split the first part of between the Texas Rangers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. For the first time in his career, Robinson was used more often in relief (13 times) than as a starter (11 times). In July, he was released by the Pirates, only to be brought back to the Tigers' organization, as he pitched the rest of the season for their Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens. He never again pitched in the majors, and retired before the following spring training.

Robinson finished his career with a record of 47–40 and a 4.79 ERA in 141 career games. During his career, Robinson was often referred to as "Jeff M. Robinson" to differentiate him from Jeff D. Robinson, whose career overlapped his.

Death

Robinson died on October 26, 2014, at the age of 52 after a seven-week battle with undisclosed health issues. Prior to his death, he had been a pitching director, coach and instructor with the Olathe, Kansas-based Natural Baseball Academy.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Jeff
1961 births
2014 deaths
Azusa Pacific Cougars baseball players
Azusa Pacific Cougars men's basketball players
Baltimore Orioles players
Baseball players from California
Birmingham Barons players
Detroit Tigers players
Lakeland Tigers players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Nashville Sounds players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Rochester Red Wings players
Texas Rangers players
Toledo Mud Hens players
Sportspeople from Ventura County, California