Every year since 2012, we’ve spent some time after the season looking back at those that wore the Birds on the Bat. Whether it’s a bit player that got into just a couple of games or someone that played almost every day, we’ll look at their stats, their positives, their negatives, and grade them based on what we would have expected from them. The stat line is from their time in St. Louis, though splits and other numbers may include time with other teams, if applicable. Think of this as like the players packing up their locker and then seeing Mike Shildt before they head off for the winter. Once again, our great header work comes to us from cardinalsgifs, who continues to be a master.
If we’re talking about 2019, we’ve got to highlight the brand that made the most impact this season: Primos and their partnership with Jose Martinez. Throughout the span of these interviews (today through Dec. 5) you can get 10% off your order of that sweet, sweet Cafecito coffee (well, I guess you probably have to doctor it to make it sweet) or anything else at their site. My wife is a coffee snob and we’ve bought multiple bags of the medium roast. It’s a great stocking stuff or Christmas gift as well, especially when you expand your order to pick up the Jose Martinez coffee mug. So use code C70SAVE10 at checkout and show your support of their ties to the Cardinal fanbase!
Player: Drew Robinson
Season stats: 5 G, 7 PA, 1 R, 1 H, 3 K, .143/.143/.143, -24 OPS+, -0.1 bWAR
Statcast: 0.0% barrel %, 75.3 exit velocity, 0.0% hard hit %, .110 xwOBA
Hero/Goat: None
Overall grade: D
Positives: Made the Opening Day roster after being acquired for Patrick Wisdom in the offseason….had a wonderful, monkey-playing-cymbals celebration routine in the dugout….hit .265 with six home runs in Memphis….his single hit came in his last major league plate appearance of the season.
Negatives: Only seven plate appearances tells you pretty much all you need to know….as noted, went 0-6 to start the season….got more than one at bat in just one game, when he pinch-hit for Tyler O’Neill in the third inning of a 6-3 game and stayed in until the seventh….struck out 71 times in 55 games at Memphis….his season ended with a partially torn UCL that required surgery….the Cards wound up releasing him after the surgery.
Overview: Trading Wisdom for Robinson wasn’t a deal that really moved the needle, though the Cardinals tried to upsell it as a chance to get some left-handed hitting on the bench. The problem was, it was pretty clear that Robinson wasn’t much of a hitter at all and it really didn’t matter which hand he hit with. However, Wisdom had no options (the Rangers had him clear waivers to go to the minors) and it was basically no harm, no foul. At least the club didn’t ride him a long while before sending him down.
Outlook: Robinson feels like a minor league lifer and I’m sure that he’ll be playing AAA ball for some team, more as organizational filler than as any real depth or expectation of MLB service. Some team, but not the Cardinals.
