July 16, 2013 by Wayne McBrayer with photos by Rebecca Herman
ON THE FARM IN TUCSON, ARIZONA
~~WITH DANIEL ROBERTSON, JUNE 7-9, 2013~~
The love of baseball started early for Daniel Robertson. He talked to us about “the plastic glove my dad put on my hand when I was 2 and the little white plastic baseball that he would throw to me and as I got older it seemed like it was so light compared to some of the other balls I would pick up. My dad coached when I was young and when I got old enough it was my dad’s brother and him coaching me together.” He started playing Little League at the age of 4 hitting off the T and playing for the Indians. While he was growing up he liked Pete Rose because he “played the game hard all the time” but when he started watching the game on TV as a kid, he became a fan of Ken Griffey Jr. “because he did everything with a smile on his face, he never seemed like he was upset, he just seemed like he was enjoying the game.”
Daniel Robertson batting against Sacramento’s Andrew Werner.
Daniel attended South San Antonio High School and lettered in both football and baseball for 3 years. After high school, he attended Concordia University and continued to do what he has always done and that is HIT! He amassed batting averages of .329 as a freshman, .404 as a sophomore, and .415 as a junior helping lead his team to the 2006 NAIA College World Series. For his senior season, he transferred to Oregon State and hit .327 in 52 games. Even with all of that success, he wasn’t drafted until the 33rd round by the San Diego Padres. The stigma of being considered too short to play by many scouts is what likely caused Daniel to slip in the draft; however, his ability to hit has caused him to move up from A- Eugene where he hit .377 to AAA Tucson where he is currently hitting .290 and has been an All-Star the past 2 seasons.
Daniel Robertson getting an extra base hit against Sacramento River Cats.
Click HERE to access his up-to-date stats.
From talking with Daniel and others around him, he is a consummate team player. Tucson’s Manager, Pat Murphy, was quoted in an interview saying, “he is the type of guy you hate if he is playing against you, but love if he is playing for you.” Daniel told us his proudest moments as a player were “the 2 Championships we won. We won 101 games at Fort Wayne [TinCaps] and we won 100 games in San Antonio [Missions]. They were 2 good teams and just to be the last team at the end and knowing everyone gets to go home and we do all want to go home the minor leagues get long, but still the ultimate goal is to win and if you’re the last team standing you can’t take those feelings away.”
Daniel Robertson – taking time to sign autographs for the fans before a game.
Daniel is a leader in the clubhouse and loves to be involved with the fans. Tucson Padres GM, Mike Feder, said of Daniel, “He is just a joy to be around. He is so great with the fans. He’ll come to me and say when can I do an appearance? You don’t have many guys that will do that and he’s very sincere.” He is also starting a non-profit called Gearing Up Athlete which he hopes will get going after the season concludes.
It is our sincere hope that Daniel Robertson makes it to the big leagues with the Padres. He can hit, he plays hard, he is good in the locker room, and he loves the fans and wants to be involved in his community. All of these attributes makes him a winner and a player we would gladly pay to see.
In the meanwhile, be sure to connect with Daniel ….
- Follow on Twitter @MrRogers2you
Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium – great venue, mountain views, and even the Tucson Padre –
The Kino Bambino!
Kino Stadium is a wonderful ballpark where the staff ensures that there is something fun and exciting going on for the fans all the time. This is the last season for the AAA Tucson Padres as they will be moving to El Paso Texas for the 2014 season. Their last regular season home stand is August 21-29. See the complete schedule HERE so you can plan your visit to see this fun and winning team! Go early – Go often! Follow @TucsonPadres
Interview & Story by Wayne McBrayer, TheCasualFan
Editing & Photography by Rebecca Herman, TheBaseballPHD
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