Jeff Robinson (starting pitcher)

Jeffrey Mark "Jeff" Robinson (December 14, 1961 – October 26, 2014) was a professional baseball player and pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1987 to 1992. Robinson pitched for the Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers and Pittsburgh Pirates.^[1]

Professional career

Robinson was originally drafted out of Christian High School, El Cajon, California by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1979, and then again by the San Diego Padres 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 pro contract until being drafted by the Tigers in the third round 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 1987.

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 1988, his second season in the major leagues, when he won 13 games, and finished with a 2.98 ERA.^[2] Robinson spent three more seasons in Detroit, compiling a record of 36–26, with a 4.65 ERA. On January 11, 1991, Robinson was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Baltimore Orioles for Mickey Tettleton.^[3] He pitched one season for the Orioles, then was released.

Robinson split the first part of 1992 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.^[1]

Robinson finished his career with a record of 47–40 and a 4.79 ERA in 141 career games.^[2] 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."^[1][2]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)