Twins took chance on versatile OF Robinson, hope he brings winning ways with him
MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins general manager Terry Ryan had never seen outfielder Shane Robinson play in person before Minnesota signed him this past December as a free agent. Instead, he had to listen to people he trusted.
Ryan received phone calls from three different scouts this winter that had all seen Robinson play with the St. Louis Cardinals. Robinson was released by the Cardinals in November after nine years in the organization and was looking for a new home.
When Ryan's phone rang, he was intrigued by the idea of bringing Robinson in as another outfield option. The Twins were a bit unsettled there heading into spring training, so the addition of a five-year major league veteran was appealing.
"That's all I knew. Three different guys called and specifically pointed out that if we had a chance at Shane Robinson, we ought to go get him," Ryan said. "I didn't know anything more than that. I would say they're accurate."
Robinson hasn't played a ton yet through Minnesota's first 20 games. Though he's appeared in 15 games, only nine of them have been starts as the Twins' fourth outfielder. He made the 25-man roster out of camp as one of two center-field options along with Jordan Schafer.
Given the playing time he was getting in St. Louis, though, Robinson is thrilled just to be playing as much as he has so far with the Twins. The most at-bats the former fifth-round pick ever had in a major-league season was 166 back in 2012, and that number has declined every year since. He had just 60 at-bats with the Cardinals in 2014 and hit only .150 in his limited role.
"I really didn't play as much in St. Louis, so I'm getting a lot more playing time here than I did there," Robinson said. "The big adjustment was probably in spring training and learning everybody's names and things like that. As of now, I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable with everybody and the team as a whole."
Robinson's sample size in his first 15 games is admittedly small -- just 34 at-bats -- but he's found some early success at the plate with his new club. Entering Wednesday's game against Detroit, Robinson was batting .324 (11-for-34) with five RBI and a pair of stolen bases.
He's also been steady in the outfield, having already played all three outfield spots. In Monday's game against the Tigers, he threw out a runner at home plate after catching a fly ball in left field. Robinson had never played at Target Field before this season -- the Cardinals don't travel to Minnesota often -- but he's enjoyed the extra room the spacious park has in the outfield.
"I've played in some big parks; this is one of the bigger ones," Robinson said. "It just gives you more room to run things down. The ball doesn't really fly here, so it's good. It gives you a chance each time the ball's hit in the air."
Robinson was a part of some successful clubs in St. Louis. He played in the playoffs in both 2012 and 2013, including four games in the 2013 World Series against the Boston Red Sox. Robinson was 2-for-8 with a double in his limited World Series experience.
Now he joins a Twins team that hasn't played in the World Series since 1991 and hasn't made the playoffs since 2010. Robinson values the lessons he learned by playing for some of those winning Cardinals clubs.
"Just how to win, the right way to go about winning and things like that," Robinson said. "Being a good teammate and knowing how to play the game right and understanding what to do in certain situations. I just kind of take that with me wherever I go."
The Twins are 9-11 through 20 games as they look to get back to their winning ways. Minnesota hopes Robinson can be a part of the equation.
"I think it helps when you come from a winning organization," Ryan said. "Coming from the Cardinals, an organization that's got a pretty good reputation, that doesn't hurt at all. We used to have that reputation. I'd like to get that back."
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