Athletic but “undersized” compared to his peers in youth baseball, he said, Robinson usually would cover the position left open by the teammate pitching.
If the team’s shortstop started the game on the mound, Robinson went there and then moved to third or first or center when a new pitcher was brought in from one of those spots. He got used to bouncing around, a jack of many positions but starter at none, all because he knew there always would be a spot open for him.
In an attempt to improve the lefthanded-hitting depth on their roster, the Cardinals recently sent righthanded hitter and corner infielder Patrick Wisdom to Texas for Robinson, an uber-fielder who could be the Cardinals’ lefthanded-hitting complement at center as well as shortstop.