MAKING HIS MARK
After working on his stroke all winter with coach Kevin Long, Robinson redeemed himself in 2009. The Yanks reloaded with a pair of top-of-the-rotation starters—CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett—plus two talented middle-of-the-order switch-hitters, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher. Robinson settled into the bottom third of a super lineup and had a remarkable year. He rapped out 204 hits and scored 103 runs to go with 25 homers, 48 doubles and 85 RBIs. His .320 average ranked sixth in the league. His 331 total bases ranked fourth in the league—an amazing stat for a bottom-of-the-order hitter.
As good as Robinson was during regular season, he was a non-factor for the Yankees in their championship postseason run. In fact, he batted under .200 in the ALDS and World Series. He was only slightly better against the Angels in the ALCS, with a pair of triples and a .261 average. Robinson was solid on defense—with the exception of a weird Game 2 against Anaheim—and had the honor of fielding the final groundout to win the World Series, off the bat of Philadelphia’s Shane Victorino.
The Yankees failed to defend their crown in 2010. They did make it to the playoffs, however, in spite of a season-long struggle with a lineup beset by injuries and marred by inconsistency. Robinson was one of the few exceptions. He led the Yankees with 200 hits, 41 doubles, a .319 batting average and a .534 slugging average. He also appeared in more games (160) than any other Yankee. Robinson’s 103 runs, 29 homers and 109 RBIs were also among the best numbers produced by New York’s powerhouse lineup, as were his 77 strikeouts in 696 plate appearances.
In the field, Robinson continued to mature. He made all the easy plays and most of the hard ones to earn his first Gold Glove. He committed just three errors all season long. On a team full of potential MVPs, the most valuable Yankee in 2010 was almost unquestionably Robinson.
Robinson continued his inspired play during the postseason. In a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins, his .333 average was second-best among Yankee regulars. Now batting fifth behind Alex Rodriguez, he presented a dilemma for enemy hurlers. With runners on base, did they challenge the right-handed A-Rod, or pitch around him only to face the free-swinging lefty, Cano?
In the ALCS, the Yankees ran into a buzzsaw in the form of the Texas Rangers. The AL West champs pitchers made few bad decisions when it came to the Yankee lineup. One of them, however, was pitching to Robinson. He had a transcendent series, hammering virtually everything thrown his way.
In New York’s thrilling comeback victory in Game 1, Robinson led off the seventh with his team trailing 5–0. He turned on a C.J. Wilson fastball and lined a screaming home run into the seats. In the eighth inning, he tied the game and sent the winning run to third with a single to center off left-handed specialist Derek Holland.
Robinson homered in losing causes in Game 2 and Game 4. In Game 5, with the Yankees facing elimination, Robinson—now bumped up to third in the lineup—blasted his fourth round-tripper of the ALCS as the Yankees won 6–2. Alas, in Game 6 none of the Yankees could solve Colby Lewis. He beat New York for the second time in the series, 6–1. Great pitching by the Rangers and the slugging of Josh Hamilton overshadowed a breakout performance by Robinson.
As the 2011 season began, many were picking Robinson as the favorite for AL MVP. With Andy Pettitte retired and Mariano Rivera, Jeter and A-Rod on the steep side of 30, it may fall to Robinson to assume the mantle of leadership in what figures to be a challenging campaign. Few doubt that he is up to the task. Robinson's thoughtful approach to the game separates him from many other big leaguers his age and has some thinking that he may some day join other Yankee greats in Cooperstown.