Robert Joseph Erlin (born October 8, 1990) is an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
who is a free agent. He has played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
San Diego Padres,
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
,
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
and
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
and in
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
(NPB) for the
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
High school career
Erlin attended
Scotts Valley High School in
Scotts Valley, California
Scotts Valley is a small city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, about thirty miles (48 km) south of downtown San Jose and six miles (10 km) north of the city of Santa Cruz, in the upland slope of the Santa Cruz Mounta ...
, where he played for the school's baseball team. In 2009, his senior year, he was named
Santa Cruz County's Player of the Year. He committed to attend
California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (California Polytechnic State University, Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, California or California State Polytechnic Univ ...
(Cal Poly) on a baseball scholarship.
Professional career
Texas Rangers
The
Texas Rangers selected Erlin in the third round of the
2009 MLB draft.
Erlin signed, bypassing the scholarship with Cal Poly.
[ Erlin spent 2010 in Class-A ball and split 2011 between High-A and Double-A.
]
San Diego Padres
Texas traded Erlin along with fellow Double-A pitcher Joe Wieland to the Padres for reliever Mike Adams at the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31, 2011.
Erlin was placed with the Double-A San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded. ...
to finish the 2011 season, where he had a 1.38 ERA in six starts. He opened the 2012 season with San Antonio, but strained his elbow and developed tendinitis, making his last start for the team on May 12. He rehabbed the elbow late in the season with the Arizona Rookie League
The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it f ...
, and then pitched in the Arizona Fall League. Erlin joined the Tucson Padres of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
for the 2013 season. He shuttled back and forth between Tucson and the Major League team, posting an 8-3 record and 5.07 ERA in 20 games with Tucson in 2013.[
In 2014 with three Padres minor league teams, he was 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA.]
In 2015 with El Paso, where he spent most of the season, he was 7-6 with a 5.60 ERA.
Erlin was promoted to the Major Leagues on April 24, 2013,[ and made two appearances in relief before he was optioned back to Tucson on May 2. Erlin was recalled on June 1 for his first Major League start against the ]Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
. Erlin won the first decision of his career in that start as the Padres defeated the Blue Jays, 4–3. He was optioned back to Tucson on June 2. Erlin was promoted for a third stint on June 26 to take the rotation spot of Clayton Richard, who went to the disabled list. Erlin was roughed up in successive starts in Boston and Washington in July, unable to get through the fifth inning in either start, and was optioned back to Tucson on July 8. Erlin was recalled late in the season to take the rotation spot of Edinson Vólquez. He fared better in his final stint of 2013, not allowing more than two runs in any of his five starts to finish the season. For the year, he went 3–3 with a 4.12 ERA with the Major League club.[
In 2014 with the Padres, he was 4-5 with a 4.99 ERA.] He missed most of the season with left elbow soreness. In 2015 with San Diego, he was 1-2 with a 4.76 ERA.
On May 3, 2016, Erlin was diagnosed with a partially torn UCL. He underwent Tommy John surgery
Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...
on his left elbow that month and missed the remainder of the 2016 season. For the season, in 15.2 innings he was 1-2 with a 4.02 ERA. Following the non-tenders of Alexi Amarista
Alexi Jose Amarista (born April 6, 1989) is a Venezuelan
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting ...
and Tyson Ross after the 2016 MLB season
The 2016 Major League Baseball season began on April 3, 2016 with a Sunday afternoon matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, the two teams with the best regular-season records in 2015, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. T ...
, Erlin became the longest tenured Padre.
Erlin returned to the Padres in 2018, making the Opening Day roster as a long reliever out of the bullpen. He moved to the starting rotation full-time after Tyson Ross and Jordan Lyles were waived. In 39 appearances (12 starts), he finished 4-7 with an ERA of 4.21 in 109 innings. In 2019, Erlin recorded an ERA of 5.37 in innings. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.
Pittsburgh Pirates
On January 29, 2020, Erlin signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
. On July 20, 2020, Erlin had his contract selected to the 40-man roster. Erlin was designated for assignment on August 2.
Atlanta Braves
On August 7, 2020, the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
claimed Erlin off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
. Erlin was designated for assignment by the Braves on September 12, 2020. Erlin was released by the Braves on September 14.
Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
On November 30, 2020, Erlin signed a one-year contract with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
. Erlin made his NPB debut on April 17, 2021, allowing an earned run in 2.0 innings of work. He became a free agent following the 2021 season.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Erlin signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
in February 2022. He was assigned to the AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers and was called up to the major leagues on May 7 as the 27th man for a doubleheader. He pitched two innings for the Dodgers over two games, allowing two runs on two hits[ before he was designated for assignment on May 11. On October 17, Erlin elected free agency.
]
Pitching style
Erlin has an average fastball in the range, but he is able to contrast it with an outstanding curveball and above-average changeup. He will also mix in cutters and sliders to give hitters a different look.
Personal life
Erlin's father, Rick, is the baseball coach at Scotts Valley.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erlin, Robbie
1990 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Santa Cruz, California
People from Scotts Valley, California
Baseball players from California
Major League Baseball pitchers
San Diego Padres players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Atlanta Braves players
Los Angeles Dodgers players
Arizona League Rangers players
Hickory Crawdads players
Myrtle Beach Pelicans players
Frisco RoughRiders players
San Antonio Missions players
Arizona League Padres players
Lake Elsinore Storm players
Tucson Padres players
Peoria Javelinas players
El Paso Chihuahuas players
category:Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
category:Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters players
Oklahoma City Dodgers players