William H. "Yank" Robinson (September 19, 1859 – August 25, 1894) was 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 ...
infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.
Standard arrangement of positions
In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...
. He 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) from 1884 to 1892 for the
Detroit Wolverines
The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant (and winning the pre ...
,
Baltimore Monumentals
The Baltimore Monumentals were an American baseball team in the short-lived Union Association. In their lone season of 1884, they finished fourth in the UA with a 58–47 record.
History
The team was managed by Bill Henderson. Their top-hitting ...
,
St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...
,
Pittsburgh Burghers
The Pittsburgh Burghers were a baseball team in the Players' League, a short-lived Major League that existed only for the 1890 season. The team included a number of players who had jumped from the National League's Pittsburgh Alleghenys (now the ...
,
Cincinnati Kelly's Killers
Kelly's Killers were a Major League baseball team that played in Cincinnati, Ohio during the 1891 baseball season. The team played in the American Association, which was a major league from 1882 to 1891.
The team nickname
By contemporary news ...
, and
Washington Senators.
Robinson was a starter for St. Louis Browns teams that won four consecutive
American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
pennants and the
1886 World Series
The 1886 World Series was won by the St. Louis Browns (NL), St. Louis Browns (later the Cardinals) of the American Association (19th century), American Association over the Chicago White Stockings (1870–89), Chicago White Stockings (later the Cu ...
. While playing for the Browns, he set the major league record with 116
walks in 1888 and broke his own record with 118 walks in 1889. During his peak years from 1887 to 1890, Robinson drew 472 free passes (427 walks and 45 times
hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...
) and 400 hits in 2,115
plate appearance
In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...
s, giving him a "free pass" percentage of .223 and an
on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
of .412. His
Offensive WAR ratings of 3.8, 3.7 and 3.6 ranked sixth in the American Association in 1886 and 1887 and eighth in 1888.
Early years
Robinson was born in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, in 1859.
[ He came from a poor background, left home at a young age and moved to ]Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
where he played sandlot baseball.[
]
Professional baseball
Detroit and Baltimore
In August 1882, Robinson was playing minor league baseball in Natick, Massachusetts
Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...
, when he was given a try-out with the Detroit Wolverines
The Detroit Wolverines were a 19th-century Major League Baseball team that played in the National League from 1881 to 1888 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. In total, they won 426 games and lost 437, taking their lone pennant (and winning the pre ...
who were in the midst of a six-game losing streak against Providence and Boston.[ Robinson made his major league debut on August 24, 1882, in the Wolverines' final game at Boston. He remained with the team for the remainder of the 1882 season, appearing in 10 games at shortstop, one as an outfielder and one as a pitcher.][
After his short stint with Detroit in 1882, Robinson spent the 1883 season in the minor leagues playing for the East Saginaw Grays in the ]Northwestern League
The Northwestern League was a sports league that operated in the Central United States during the early years of professional baseball for five seasons: 1879, 1883–1884, and 1886–1887. After the 1887 season, the league was replaced by the We ...
.[ He played shortstop and compiled a .215 batting average for East Saginaw.][
In 1884, Robinson returned to a major league with the ]Baltimore Monumentals
The Baltimore Monumentals were an American baseball team in the short-lived Union Association. In their lone season of 1884, they finished fourth in the UA with a 58–47 record.
History
The team was managed by Bill Henderson. Their top-hitting ...
of the Union Association
The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for just the 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season.
Seven of the twelve teams who were in the Association at some poi ...
. He played 71 games at third base for the Monumentals, but also demonstrated versatility by playing 14 games at shortstop, 11 games at catcher, and 11 games as a pitcher. He compiled a .267 batting average, led the league with 37 walks, and ranked fourth in the league with 101 runs scored. As a pitcher, he compiled a 3-3 record with a 3.48 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), pitched three complete games, and led the Union Association with eight games finished as a relief pitcher.[ The '']St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Dem ...
'' called Robinson "the best all-around player in the Union Association."
St. Louis Browns
1885 season
In December 1884, after the Baltimore Monumentals disbanded, Robinson had offers from multiple teams but signed with the St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...
, the team that later became the St. Louis Cardinals, for $2,100. The Browns had finished in fourth place in 1884, and Robinson was one of the final additions to a team that went on to win four consecutive American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
pennants under player-manager Charles Comiskey
Charles Albert Comiskey (August 15, 1859 – October 26, 1931), nicknamed "Commy" or "The Old Roman", was an American Major League Baseball player, manager and team owner. He was a key person in the formation of the American League, and was also ...
from 1885 to 1888.
During the 1885 season, Comiskey made use of Robinson's versatility, positioning him in the outfield for 52 games, second base for 19 games, catcher for five games, third base for two games, and even one game at first base. He also scored five runs in the 1885 World Series
The 1885 World Series (the "World's Championship") was an end-of-the-year playoff series between the National League champion Chicago White Stockings and American Association champion St. Louis Browns. The Series was played in four cities (Chicag ...
.[
]
1886 and 1887: peak seasons
In 1886, Robinson became the Browns' starting second baseman, a position he held for the next four years. Robinson had a good year at the plate in 1886, batting .274 with 71 RBIs. He ranked second in the league in times hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...
(15), fourth in stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...
s (51), fifth in bases on balls (64), seventh in times on base (211), eighth in on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
(.377) and ninth in doubles (26). Applying the modern measure of Wins Above Replacement
Wins Above Replacement or Wins Above Replacement Player, commonly abbreviated to WAR or WARP, is a non-standardized sabermetric baseball statistic developed to sum up "a player's total contributions to his team". A player's WAR value is claimed to ...
(WAR), Robinson had the best season of his career in 1886 with an Offensive WAR of 3.8, sixth best in the American Association.[ Robinson also played a key role in helping the Browns win the ]1886 World Series
The 1886 World Series was won by the St. Louis Browns (NL), St. Louis Browns (later the Cardinals) of the American Association (19th century), American Association over the Chicago White Stockings (1870–89), Chicago White Stockings (later the Cu ...
with a post-season batting average of .316, three RBIs and five runs.
During the 1887 season, Robinson compiled career highs with 75 stolen bases, a .305 batting average, a .445 on-base percentage, 74 RBIs, 32 doubles and 17 times hit by pitch. His Offensive WAR rating of 3.7 is the sixth highest in the American Association for 1887. He also posted a .326 batting average in the 1887 World Series
The 1887 World Series was won by the Detroit Wolverines of the National League, over the St. Louis Browns of the American Association, 10 games to 5. It was played between October 10 and 26, and played in numerous neutral cities, as well as in De ...
.[
]
1888 and 1889: master of the free pass
Prior to 1880, nine balls (pitches outside the strike zone
In baseball, the strike zone is the volume of space through which a pitch must pass in order to be called a strike even if the batter does not swing. The strike zone is defined as the volume of space above home plate and between the batter's kn ...
) were required for a batsman to draw a walk,[ and the major league record was 29 walks in a season.] The number of balls required to draw a walk was progressively reduced to eight balls in 1880, six in 1884, five in 1887, and, finally, four in 1889.
Robinson was one of the first players to exploit fully the new rules governing bases on balls. In 1887, his 92 walks and 17 times hit by pitch elevated his on-base percentage to .445.[ Then, in 1888 and 1889, Robinson became the master of the free pass. He set a new major league record in 1888 with 116 walks and broke his own record with 118 walks the following year.][ Robinson actually tallied more walks (234) than hits (199) during the 1888 and 1889 seasons. His combined batting average in 1888 and 1889 was an anemic .219, but his 234 walks (and willingness to be hit by a pitch, a category in which he was a league leader five times) turned him into a potent offensive weapon with a .389 on-base percentage over the two seasons combined. His .400 on-base percentage in 1888 was the highest in the American Association.][
]
On strike in 1889
On May 2, 1889, Robinson began a strike that was the talk of baseball for a few days. Shortly before a game, team manager Charles Comiskey told Robinson to get a pair of padded playing trousers, as the trousers he was wearing were too small for him. Robinson sent a boy to retrieve the padded trousers from his room across the street from the ball park. Robinson gave the boy a note of explanation to show the gate keeper upon his return. When the boy returned, the gate keeper adamantly refused to admit the boy, saying he had strict instructions from the owner Chris von der Ahe not to admit anybody without a ticket. On learning what had happened, Robinson called the gate keeper and angrily berated him. The gate keeper was reduced to tears and complained to von der Ahe.[
The owner confronted Robinson and gave him a tongue-lashing in front of teammates and spectators seated in the grandstand. Robinson responded in kind, and von der Ahe imposed a $25 fine against Robinson. Robinson apologized for his angry outburst to the gate keeper, but asserted that the fine was unjust and refused to travel to Kansas City with the team unless the fine was removed. Initially, Robinson's teammates supported him and refused to board the train as well, but under threat of being fined themselves the other players took a later train. Robinson refused to return to the team until the fine was remitted, and von der Ahe announced that he would increase the fine by $25 for each day that Robinson failed to report.]
After a few games without Robinson, von der Ahe announced that a deal had been worked out between Comiskey and Robinson. Von der Ahe conceded that he "acted hastily" in berating Robinson on the bench. An adjustment was reached on the amount of the fine, and Robinson agreed to return to work. However, ill feeling between Robinson and von der Ahe persisted and contributed to Robinson's decision to move to the Players' League
The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League (PL), was a short-lived but star-studded professional American baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Prof ...
in 1890.
Players' League
When Robinson jumped to the Players' League in 1890, playing for the Pittsburgh Burghers
The Pittsburgh Burghers were a baseball team in the Players' League, a short-lived Major League that existed only for the 1890 season. The team included a number of players who had jumped from the National League's Pittsburgh Alleghenys (now the ...
, the gap between Robinson's batting average and on-base percentage grew to a remarkable 205 points. During that season, Robinson had 70 hits for a .229 batting average, but his 101 bases on balls elevated his on-base percentage to .434, fourth highest in the Players' League.[
Over the four years from 1887 to 1890, Robinson drew 472 free passes (427 walks and 45 times hit by a pitch) and only 400 hits in 2,115 plate appearances, giving him a "free pass" percentage of .223 and an on-base percentage of .412.][ Applying the modern measure of ]wins above replacement
Wins Above Replacement or Wins Above Replacement Player, commonly abbreviated to WAR or WARP, is a non-standardized sabermetric baseball statistic developed to sum up "a player's total contributions to his team". A player's WAR value is claimed to ...
(WAR), Robinson's propensity to draw free passes made him one of the most valuable players in baseball during his peak years. His Offensive WAR ratings of 3.8, 3.7 and 3.6 ranked sixth in the American Association in 1886 and 1887 and eighth in 1888.[
]
Cincinnati and Washington
In April 1891, Robinson signed to play second base for the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers
Kelly's Killers were a Major League baseball team that played in Cincinnati, Ohio during the 1891 baseball season. The team played in the American Association, which was a major league from 1882 to 1891.
The team nickname
By contemporary news ...
. By that time, Robinson had developed a reputation as a drinker, and the ''Sporting Life'' reported on the signing as follows: "Robby is a brilliant player, and if he will refrain from his bibulous habits he will be a great help to the club." Robinson compiled a .178 batting average in 97 games for Cincinnati, but his talent for drawing walks, totaling 68 in 1891, gave him a respectable .328 on-base percentage.[ The Kelly's Killers disbanded in August 1891, and Robinson returned to the Browns for a single game late in the season.][
Robinson concluded his major league playing career with Washington Senators in 1892. He appeared in 58 games at third base for Washington and compiled a .179 batting average.][ According to one source, Robinson's "skills and health had slipped badly" by the 1892 season.][ Robinson appeared in his last major league game on August 10, 1892.][
]
Defensive woes
While Robinson played at every position other than center field, and even pitched a few games, he spent most of his career as an infielder, playing 698 games as a second baseman, 143 as a third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
, and 66 as a shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...
.[ For an infielder who posted batting averages as low as .177 in 1891, .179 in both 1882 and 1892, and .208 in 1889, the historical expectation would be the classic "good field, no hit" infielder.
At least two modern accounts support the notion that Robinson was a good fielder. In his 1999 book on the early St. Louis Browns, J. Thomas Hetrick stated: ]Performing gloveless at second base, Robinson was known for his range, accurate throwing arm, and double-play acrobatics. Ambidextrous, Robinson sometimes startled the opposition with lefthanded throws across his chest to nail base runners heading to third.
Similarly, baseball historian Robert L. Tiemann
Robert L. Tiemann is an American baseball historian based in St. Louis, and a member of SABR (the Society of American Baseball Research). He is considered a 19th-century baseball expert.
Tiemann has written or edited
Editing is the proce ...
acknowledged that Robinson's refusal to wear a glove rendered him "less than outstanding on ground balls", but praised him for his "good range" and "accurate throws" and concluded that, overall, Robinson "excelled at second base because of his agility and quickness."
While Robinson did rank second among the American Association's second basemen with 66 double plays turned in 1886, the historical record does not support the claim that he was an excellent, or even average, fielder. To the contrary, he never ranked higher than fifth in range factor, assists or putout
In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or ''fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods:
* Tagging a runner wit ...
s among the second basemen in the eight-team American Association. Moreover, he compiled a career fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...
of .897 and consistently ranked at or near the bottom of the American Association's second basemen in fielding percentage. He committed 103 error
An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'.
In statistics ...
s in 1886, including a league-leading 95 errors at second base, and ranked among the league leaders in errors by a second baseman every year from 1886 to 1891. Perhaps most tellingly, and even though he played only nine major league seasons at second base, his 471 career errors at the position continue to rank 11th all time in major league history.[
Although every player has an off day, Robinson reached an all-time low in fielding on May 26, 1891, when, while playing for the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers, he had seven fielding chances and committed seven errors.
]
Death
In April 1893, less than eight months after Robinson played in his last major league game, the ''Sporting Life'' newspaper reported that a private telegram said that Robinson was dying of consumption (pulmonary tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
) and had been "reduced to a mere skeleton, weighing in the neighborhood of ninety pounds." He had reportedly signed a contract to play for Louisville in 1893, but traveled instead to Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...
, to receive treatment for his illness.
Two weeks later, ''Sporting Life'' published a retraction of its account and noted: "The story that second baseman Yank Robinson is dying with consumption is untrue. Yank is at Hot Springs and is in good health. The tale was probably designed as a big free advertisement for Yank, and in that particular was successful. It probably however lost him a chance of an engagement by Louisville."
The following year, in August 1894, Robinson died from tuberculosis at the St. Louis home of friend Patsy Tebeau
Oliver Wendell "Patsy" Tebeau (December 5, 1864 – May 16, 1918) was an American first baseman, third baseman, and manager in Major League Baseball. . He was 34 years old and left $770 to be divided between Tebeau and a brother in Cleveland. He was buried at the Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.Retrosheet
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Yank
1859 births
1894 deaths
19th-century baseball players
Major League Baseball second basemen
Baltimore Monumentals players
Cincinnati Kelly's Killers players
Detroit Wolverines players
Pittsburgh Burghers players
St. Louis Browns (AA) players
Washington Senators (1891–1899) players
East Saginaw Grays players
Baseball players from Philadelphia
19th-century deaths from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis deaths in Missouri
Burials at Calvary Cemetery (St. Louis)