At the Washington Nationals’ spring training facility in Viera, Florida, the lockers tell the story. One row of stalls is reserved for pitchers, the other for position players. The veterans are clumped toward the back of the room. The roster hopefuls, the tryout players, the guys who might be gone in a few weeks, are clustered in the front.
That’s where Clint Robinson’s locker was this past February, next to to Kila Ka’aihue, Mike Carp and a handful of other players who are either no longer with the organization or stuck in the minor leagues.
Sitting in that stall, Robinson couldn’t have imagined the sort of season he has had thus far, nor the moment that came Friday. With no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, he crushed Jake Peavy’s pitch to the seats in right-center field. The go-ahead two-run home run proved to be the difference in Washington’s 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants.
Robinson’s first home run at Nationals Park came in front of a sellout crowd and a national television audience. The first curtain call of his major-league career followed.
“That was about as big a shot of adrenaline as you could ask for,” Robinson said. “I was a little bit late with it. I think they’d already gotten two pitches into the next batter before I got out there. I was kind of trying to calm myself down because I was all messed up inside. But it was great.”
Four months ago, with Opening Day around the corner, Robinson had 13 big-league at-bats in his career and was unsure if he’d even make Washington’s roster. He and Ka’aihue, another first baseman with a powerful left-handed swing, were vying for a similar role off Washington’s bench. Robinson had the better minor-league track record, and the better numbers in spring, but uncertainty lingered.
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What followed was a list of firsts. His first Opening Day on a major league roster. His first multi-hit game in the majors. His first home run. And, in a strange twist, his first pitching appearance.
Injuries to first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and left fielder Jayson Werth have repeatedly pushed Robinson into the starting lineup. On Friday, his 29th start in 79 games, he hit fifth in the batting order, behind Bryce Harper. He’s hitting .290 over his past 21 games with 12 RBI and 12 runs scored.
“Perseverance, isn’t it?” manager Matt Williams said. “A long time in the minor leagues with success and success at every level. He’s finally getting an opportunity in the big leagues and, because of injury, to play on a regular basis and showing us what he can do. He’s been very productive for us.”
Robinson was a .302 hitter over parts of eight seasons in the minor leagues with three different organizations. He has never doubted his ability, only whether he would ever receive ample opportunity to display it.
“There’s only 750 jobs in the major leagues, and thousands of guys trying to get one of them. So it’s just about being in the right place at the right time,” Robinson said. “That’s why you hear about guys that play for years and years and everybody always asks why. Well, it’s because eventually, that opportunity’s going to come, hopefully. Mine came this year, and I’m trying to make the best of it.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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