“When you don’t get drafted out of high school, and you don’t get drafted as a junior out of college and when you’re a 22-year-old senior that’s going to have to be a prove yourself draft pick,” Robinson said to Mark Nasser during the Omaha Storm Chasers' pre-game show last night. “You have to go every year and prove that I belong here.
“You look around and there’s not too many guys like me – low round picks, you’ve got no money. And up in Double-A and Triple-A – those are usually thinned out by now. Obviously the Royals have seen something and I’m going to keep doing what I do and keep proving whatever doubters I have wrong.”
The Royals drafted Robinson in 2007 and he’s steadily made his way up the ranks in the organization. In his four minor league seasons, he’s hit 74 home runs, driven in 285 runs and hit .307 with a .373 OBP. His breakout season came in Double-A NW Arkansas last season where he hit 29 HR, with 98 RBIs and had a .335 average – becoming just the third player in Texas League history to win the Triple Crown. The Naturals also won the Texas League championship.
“Last year was a great year,” Robinson said. “I played with a great groups of guys. A lot of those guys are here with me now in Omaha and we’re just looking to do the same thing – winning baseball games and getting better as players and as a team. And hopefully winning a championship here and getting to go to Kansas City and be in the big leagues.”
Robinson is picking up where he left off last season. In his first six games for Omaha this season, he’s hit 3 HR with 6 RBIs and is currently hitting .333 with a .448 OBP. He also has three doubles and five walks.
With Billy Butler, Kila Ka’aihue and Eric Hosmer in the Royals’ system, Robinson faces a logjam at first base, but he’s growing accustomed to forcing the Royals’ hand.
“I don’t look at it as a bad thing,” Robinson said. “I look at it as a personal challenge. I have to keep playing my game and force the Royals’ hand and do what you do. You can’t really control anything else.
“You hear all the time, ‘You have to not only play for the Royals, but you’re playing for 30 other teams,’ and if the Royals can’t use me at the big league level, maybe they can make a trade or something to benefit them by bringing in another player in an area of need they have or bringing in prospects.
“Somebody’s going to pay you to play. As long as you put up good numbers and all that, somebody’s going to find a way for you to hit. Whether or not that’s in a Royal’s uniform is not really up to me. I would love to be. As of right now, I’m with the Royals so I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, trying to get to Kansas City to help them win championships.”
The Royals must be taking notice of what Robinson is doing. They placed him on the 40-man roster to start the season.
“I said before last year that going into the Texas League was going to be a make-or-break year for me knowing the enormous talent that the Royals have in their farm system,” Robinson said. “And I guess last year, doing what I did – with the whole Triple Crown thing and winning a championship and being eligible for the Rule 5 draft – kind of forced the Royals’ hand to put me on the roster to keep me around so possibly I could make it to Kansas City with them.”
Thanks to Mark Nasser and the Omaha Storm Chasers for permission to use portions of Nasser's interview with Robinson.
