When Jacob Robson was promoted to Toledo last week, he ranked second among the Erie SeaWolves with seven home runs — almost double his career total. In just his second game with the Mud Hens on Saturday, he slammed an opposite-field two-run homer, then added a solo shot off the base of the left-field scoreboard Sunday.
But the 23-year-old outfielder knows home runs play no role in earning a call-up to the Hens — or his future in the Detroit Tigers organization.
“The Tigers aren’t going to promote me because of my home run total,” Robson said. “They didn’t draft me because of my home runs.
“They drafted me because I play hard and play aggressively.”
Robson is considered Detroit’s No. 26 prospect by MLB.com because of the same skills that earned him a berth in the Eastern League all-star game. In 67 games with the Double-A SeaWolves, he batted .286 and led Erie with 75 hits, 16 doubles, and 11 stolen bases.
It was a continuation of the style of play that made Robson a 30th-round pick of the San Diego Padres in the 2012 draft coming out of London, Ont., as well as the table-setter for Mississippi State’s 2016 Southeastern Conference regular-season champions.
“Knowing my identity as a player is key for a player like me,” Robson said. “The sooner I figured that out, the more things started working in my favor.
“A home-run hitter shouldn’t try to steal bases, and vice-versa.”
VIDEO: Jacob Robson at-bat that concludes with a bases-loaded triple for Erie SeaWolves
After the Tigers selected the 5-foot-10, 182-pound outfielder in the eighth round of the 2016 draft, he batted .294 with one home run in 49 games in his first pro season, then followed with a .303 mark with three home runs in 118 games split between Low Single-A West Michigan and High-Single A Lakeland last year.
In his first 20 games at Erie this season, Robson hit just .242 and did not hit a home run. On May 1 he hit a home run, followed with another homer the next day — and suddenly hit five home runs in the month.
“I’m not shooting for home runs,” he said. “I’m just trying to hit the ball hard on a line. If I get under it a little, it might get over someone’s head — and over the fence. …
“Home runs kind of just happen. If you hit the ball hard, sometimes the ball will go over the fence.”
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While Robson did homer in his second game with Toledo, manager Doug Mientkiewicz liked the two singles and the two stolen bases more.
“[Speed] like Robson has is something we don’t have,” Mientkiewicz said. “Every time you go to a new level and have success, that’s a positive thing.
“I like that he was aggressive on his first day.”
Robson was promoted Thursday to the Mud Hens to replace Christin Stewart when Stewart was placed on the disabled list, then was picked for the EL all-stars Friday. While Robson could return to Erie soon, his short time with the Hens proves he has not been overmatched.
“You can only control what you do in between the lines,” he said. “I’ve always known that, if I go out and compete hard and be aggressive every day, good things are going to happen.
“I have never worried about being promoted or demoted in my whole career. I just worry about playing hard every day and doing what got me here.
“I think you make life harder for yourself if you worry about things you can’t control.”
Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481, or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.
First Published July 2, 2018, 6:00 p.m.
