Robert William Stephenson (born February 24, 1993) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 ...

for the Pittsburgh Pirates of

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). He has previously played in MLB for the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies.

Amateur career

Stephenson began pitching when he was nine years old. He attended Alhambra High School in Martinez,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, which he graduated from with a 4.2 grade point average. Stephenson's senior season for the high school's baseball team began with two consecutive no-hitters. He finished the season with an 8–2

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...

and 1.19

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) in innings pitched. He recorded 142 strikeouts, while

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

23 and allowing 29 hits. Alhambra reached the North Coast Section Division III playoffs' second round. Stephenson was named the Gatorade California Baseball Player of the Year. He was rated by '' Baseball America'' as the 25th-best prospect in that year's draft, and the 12th best right-handed pitching prospect in the draft. He was invited to participate in the 2010 Aflac All-America Game; Stephenson was named the starting pitcher for the West Team and pitched two scoreless innings. Stephenson committed to attend the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

Washington Huskies baseball The Washington Huskies baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball team of the University of Washington, located in Seattle, Washington, United States. The program has been a member of the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference since the star ...

team.

Professional career

Cincinnati Reds

Considered a possible first round selection, the Reds selected Stephenson in the first round of the 2011 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, with the 27th overall selection. Stephenson became the Reds' first high school player chosen in the first round of the

MLB draft The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...

since they chose catcher

Devin Mesoraco Devin Douglas Mesoraco (born June 19, 1988) is an American baseball coach and former professional baseball catcher, who is the current catching coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati ...

in the first round of the 2007 draft, and the first prep school pitcher the organization had chosen in the first round since the selection of

Homer Bailey David Dewitt "Homer" Bailey Jr. (born May 3, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds from 2007 through 2018, the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics in 201 ...

in the 2004 draft. Stephenson signed with the Reds for a reported $2 million signing bonus. '' Baseball America'' rated Stephenson as one of the Reds' top ten prospects before the 2012 season, despite his not having made his professional debut. Stephenson began the 2012 season in extended spring training. Stephenson made his professional debut with the

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Dehler ...

of the Rookie-level Pioneer League on June 19, 2012. He pitched five innings and struck out eight batters. In seven games with Billings, Stephenson had a 2.05 ERA, allowing only 22 hits and eight walks in innings pitched, while striking out 37. In July, the Reds promoted Stephenson to the

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Field. I ...

of the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. For Dayton, Stephenson had a 4.19 ERA in eight starts, as he allowed 32 hits and 15 walks, while striking out 35 batters. The Reds assigned Stephenson to begin the 2013 season with Dayton. After pitching to a 5–3 win–loss record and a 2.57 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 77 innings, he was promoted to the

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the Class A – Advanced California League. They played their home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facin ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

California League on July 18. Less than a month later, after pitching to a 2–2 record and a 3.05 ERA with Bakersfield, the Reds promoted Stephenson to the

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team rel ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Southern League in August, as Reds'

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

Walt Jocketty Walt Jocketty (born February 19, 1951) is a baseball executive who is the Executive Adviser to the CEO of the Cincinnati Reds. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he attended the University of Minnesota where he earned a bachelor's degree in business a ...

said the team wanted to "fast track" Stephenson, whom he called "very impressive". The Reds invited Stephenson to spring training as a non-roster invitee in 2014. The Reds assigned Stephenson to Pensacola. He appeared in the 2014 All-Star Futures Game. He had a 7–10 record and a 4.74 ERA while striking out 140 batters in innings pitched with Pensacola. The Reds invited Stephenson to spring training in 2015. He began the season with Pensacola, where he pitched to a 3.68 ERA with 89 strikeouts in innings, including a 2.36 ERA in his last ten starts, before he was promoted to the Louisville Bats of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

International League. After the season, the Reds added him to their 40-man roster. After competing for a spot in the Reds'

starting rotation R rabbit ears :Indicates a participant in the game who hears things perhaps too well for their own good. A player who becomes nervous or chokes when opposing players or fans yell at or razz them is said to have rabbit ears. Also, an umpire ...

for Opening Day during spring training in 2016, the Reds

optioned In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement pertaining to film rights between a potential film producer (such as a movie studio, a production company, or an individual) and the author of source material, such as a book, play, or s ...

him to Louisville to start the season. On April 4, with

beginning the season on the disabled list the Reds added Stephenson to their Opening Day roster. He made his MLB debut on April 7, and was optioned back to Louisville after the start. Stephenson was called up April 19, to make his second start in place of right-hander Alfredo Simon. In his second start, against the Colorado Rockies Stephenson became the first Reds pitcher to complete seven innings up to that point in the 2016 season, allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out three and walking two. After the game, Stephenson was optioned back to Louisville. In 8 starts for the Reds, he finished 2-3 with a 6.08 ERA in 37 innings. On July 22, 2017, Stephenson was recalled from Louisville. For the season, in 25 games, 11 starts, Stephenson finished 5-6 with a 4.68 ERA in innings. He struck out 86 but walked 53 batters. The following season, he spent the majority of the season in AAA, only making 4 appearances for Cincinnati towards the end of the season. The 2019 season was Stephenson's most successful to date, but it was as a relief pitcher and not a starting pitcher. He appeared in 57 games, all out of the bullpen, and enjoyed career bests in ERA (3.76), WHIP (1.036), K/9 (11.3), BB/9 (3.3), and H/9 (6.0). Stephenson attributed his recent success to letting go of expectations and focusing on the present. In 2020, Stephenson recorded a 9.90 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched, as eight of his 11 hits allowed were home runs.

Colorado Rockies

On November 25, 2020, Stephenson and Jameson Hannah were traded to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Jeff Hoffman and Case Williams. In his first season in Colorado, Stephenson posted a 3.13 ERA in 49 games. He struck out 52 batters in 46 innings. He had a 6.04 ERA for the Rockies in 2022 and was designated for assignment on August 25.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed Stephenson off of waivers on August 27, 2022. On January 13, 2023, Stephenson agreed to a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Pirates, avoiding salary arbitration.

Personal life

Stephenson and his wife married in 2017, with fellow Reds pitcher Sal Romano serving as the best man. Robert's mother, Rowena is a

Filipino American Filipino Americans ( fil, Mga Pilipinong Amerikano) are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos and other Asian ethnicities in North America were first documented in the 16th century as slaves and prisoners on ships sailing to and from New ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Robert 1993 births Living people People from Martinez, California Baseball players from California Major League Baseball pitchers Cincinnati Reds players Colorado Rockies players Pittsburgh Pirates players Billings Mustangs players Dayton Dragons players Bakersfield Blaze players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Louisville Bats players