WATCH: Drew Robinson Throws Out First Pitch, Rangers Recognize Suicide Prevention Month
Former Texas Rangers outfielder Drew Robinson threw out the first pitch Tuesday night as the club recognized suicide prevention month.
Robinson, who attempted suicide in 2020, returned to the minor leagues in 2021 before retiring in July of that year. He transitioned to a role as a mental health advocate in the San Francisco Giants organization.
The Rangers drafted Robinson in the fourth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft. It took Robinson nearly seven seasons to get to the Majors, with his best minor league season coming in 2015, when he split time between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock. While he hit just .235, he led the Texas League in home runs with 21, plus drove in 66 runs and stole 16 bases combined with the two teams. MiLB.com named him an Organization All-Star in 2015.
He played parts of the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the Rangers, as he collected 216 at-bats and hit .204 with nine home runs and 22 RBI. He made the opening day roster in 2017 and claimed his first hit, a home run, off New York Yankees hurler Michael Pineda on June 25, 2017.
He had an auspicious debut with the Rangers in 2017, tying a team record with four extra-base hits in his first five games. Josh Jung tied that record on Monday in Miami. Jung claimed the record for most extra-base hits in a Rangers’ first six games with a double Tuesday against Oakland.
In 2019, Robinson played five games with the Cardinals, after the Rangers traded him to St. Louis on Dec. 11, 2018. Texas received Patrick Wisdom.
Robinson’s suicide attempt on April 16, 2020, resulted in four surgeries and the loss of his eye. The Giants signed him to a minor-league contract in February of 2021. Robinson was assigned to the Sacramento River Cats’ opening-day roster.
With the River Cats, Robinson batted .115/.225/.240 with three home runs and eight RBI in 38 games.
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