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William Henry Robinson
New York Yankees
Outfield
Born: June 26, 1943, McKeesport, PA
Signed: Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent, June 14, 1961
Major League Teams: Atlanta Braves 1966; New York Yankees 1967-1969; Philadelphia Phillies 1972-1974; Pittsburgh Pirates 1975-1982; Philadelphia Phillies 1982-1983
World Series Appearances: Pittsburgh Pirates 1979
Died: July 29, 2007, Las Vegas, NV (age 64)
Died: July 29, 2007, Las Vegas, NV (age 64)
Outfielder Bill Robinson was a veteran of 16 major league seasons as a player, finding his most success with the Pirates in the 1970s and as a member of the Pirates' 1979 "We Are Family" World Champions. Robinson was a September call-up by the Braves in 1966, and he'd first find semi-regular playing time with the Yankees in the late 1960s as their fourth outfielder. He'd spend a few seasons in the White Sox minor league system before a trade to the Phillies in 1972 revitalized his career. Robinson batted .288 with 25 home runs and 65 RBIs in 1973 for the Phillies, as their most regularly used right fielder. His true success came once the Phillies dealt him to Pittsburgh in April 1975. Robinson's versatility payed off for him during his years with the Pirates, and he'd earn playing time in the outfield, first base and third base. In 1977, Robinson reached career highs in both home runs (26) and RBIs (104), finishing 11th in the National League MVP voting at season's end. He played in all seven games of the 1979 World Series, batting .263 (5 for 19) as the Pirates defeated the Orioles.
Building the Set / Card #301
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times. I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times. I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.
Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders. I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500. This card was the ninth of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost me a little over $2.
The Card / Yankees Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
The photos for Robinson's 1968 and 1969 Topps cards were likely taken seconds apart. The cartoon on the back highlights his strong throwing arm and the write-up touches on the hot finish to his 1968 season. Robinson batted .282 with 13 doubles in the second half of 1968. The Yankees acquired him from the Braves on November 29, 1966 with Chi-Chi Olivo for long-time Yankee Clete Boyer (#489).
Accuracy Index: Robinson's card scores a solid +5.
1969 Season
Robinson spent the entire season with the Yankees, but he couldn't shake a season-long slump. In 87 games, he batted .171 with three home runs and 21 RBIs.
On December 13, 1971, the Phillies acquired Robinson from the White Sox for minor leaguer Gerardo Rodriguez. He was batting .304 with 20 home runs and 66 RBIs for the Eugene Emeralds when the Phillies promoted him in June 1972. Robinson appeared in 82 games in 1972, batting .239 with eight home runs. In 1973, his best with the Phillies, Robinson platooned with Mike Anderson in right field. He was one of the top position players for a Phillies team that would lose 91 games, and manager Danny Ozark used him at all three outfield positions and third base. Robinson slumped in 1974, batting .236 over 100 games and on April 5, 1975 he was traded to the Pirates for pitcher Wayne Simpson.
Robinson's second stint with the Phillies started when the Pirates traded him back to Philadelphia on June 15, 1982 for Wayne Nordhagen. Robinson played in 45 games for the Phillies in 1982 and 1983, mostly as a pinch-hitter, batting .250 with three home runs and 21 RBIs. The Phillies released him on June 9, 1983, ending his playing career. Robinson would return to the Phillies a third time in the 1990s, managing the Reading Phillies in 1996 and also serving as a minor league coach.
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First Mainstream Card: 1967 Topps #442
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15): 1967-1970, 1973-1983
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Fleer ProCards #2080
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 81 in the Beckett online database as of 5/25/24.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
In 1972, I was happy to see Robinson's career revived after his too-short time with the Yankees. Similarly, the Phillies also rescued Jay Johnstone from the minor-league scrap heap a few years later.
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