"There was a taste of ashes over the deal that brought Bill Robinson to the Yankees for Clete Boyer even before all the sweet talk had died down. Bill was the promising minor league who had batted .312 and hit 20 homers with Richmond in 1966, and he was supposed to solve the Yankees' outfield problems. But he was slow rounding into shape after off-season surgery on his throwing arm. Then, when he cracked the lineup, he became a setup for inside pitches. To stop the pitchers from jamming him, Bill adjusted his stance.
'I took a wider stance, so I could stride,' he explains. 'That kept my hands in place and the hits started dropping.'
Bill had a stronger second half in 1967. He wound up at .196 with seven homers and promises, 'the fans are gonna see a different Bill Robinson this year.'"
-Jack Zanger, Major League Baseball 1968
"Bill Robinson's six years in the minors followed a pattern that may be repeated this season. In his freshman year in a particular class of baseball, he would do only fairly well. He would return to the same class the second year and be a standout. Example: when he was with Atlanta in '65, he hit .268 in 138 games. When Atlanta became a major league city, he was transferred to Richmond - the same class of baseball - and he hit .312. Although he played only six games more than the previous year, his home run production went from 10 to 20 and his RBIs went from 37 to 79. After a rough freshman year with the Yankees, Bill's second year may surprise everybody but those who predicted that he might need a year to hit his stride.
Acquired from the Braves in exchange for Clete Boyer, Robinson has all the qualities to become a star. The right-handed outfielder is a lean, graceful athlete with one of the best arms in the business. He hit a homer in his second time at bat in the AL, but soon ran into rookie trouble at the plate - the harder he pressed, the tighter he got. He came out of his slump in late June but was soon sidelined by a pulled hamstring muscle that kept him out of 16 games and bothered him the rest of the season. Despite this, he had at one point an 11-game hitting streak going.
During the off-season, Robby played in the Florida Instructional League where he experimented at third base and tried wearing glasses while hitting. Both experiments were successful; he quickly adjusted to the hot corner and hit over .350 in 20 games. He worked out two or three hours a day all winter at Yankee Stadium and visited schools to encourage youngsters to stay with it.
Bill lettered in baseball and basketball in high school in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, and is a product of Little League, Pony League and American Legion ball. He now lives in Teaneck, New Jersey and has a three-year-old son, William."
-The New York Yankees Official 1968 Yearbook
"Bill had a rough first season in the majors but has determination and ability to reach stardom quickly. Acquired from the Braves in exchange for Clete Boyer in November 1966, he has shown all the qualities to become a star. Bill can run and throw with the best; he has one of the strongest arms in baseball despite undergoing surgery for the removal of a bone chip in his right elbow in January of 1967.
Although his batting average last year was disappointing (.196), Bill did at times show the hitting ability which made him a solid .300 hitter in the minor leagues. He had a good spring training and was two-for-four in the first game of the season with a homer and two RBIs. Bill slumped and when he finally did get started around June 20, he pulled his right hamstring muscle which kept him out for 16 games; this injury kept recurring through the season. In the meantime, however, he had an 11-game hitting streak which led the Yankees in that department.
Bill won the James P. Dawson Award (outstanding Yankee spring training rookie) in 1967. During the last off-season he played in the Florida Instructional League where he [was] experimented at third base and also at wearing glasses while hitting. Bill hit over .350 in about 20 games."
-1968 New York Yankees Press-Radio-TV Guide
"Yankee outfielder Bill Robinson, obtained from the Atlanta Braves in a trade for Clete Boyer, star third baseman, in November 1966, was considered one of the hottest outfield prospects in the minors. And there was no doubt what kind of player Boyer was.
Robinson last season had a little leeway and he needed it, being a considerable disappointment as a rookie for the Yanks. He had injury problems and batted only .196 in 116 games. It was a sad performance for a fellow who built a reputation as a slugger in the minors.
Boyer, meanwhile, made the deal look even worse by bouncing back with 26 home runs and 96 runs batted in while hitting .245 in 154 games with the Braves.
It looked as if the Yanks had traded one of the best third basemen in baseball for a sub-.200 hitting outfielder. That had to put Robinson on the spot and this is the reason he'll have to get off it.
He began preparing after last season by changing his batting style under the coaching of Yankee farm supervisors Gene Hassell and Steve Souchock.
'They let me solve my own problems at bat,' said Robinson. 'I started experimenting by lowering my hands, something like the way Roy White (another Yankee) hits. I went back to my normal stance and closed up about six inches, which felt more comfortable.
'I also wore my glasses all the time while batting and that might have made a difference. I am now accustomed to wearing glasses at the plate, and will continue to wear them, but will take them off while in the field, to guard against bad bounces.'
Robinson knew during the off-season that 1968 would be his 'make or break' year. It is really a personal matter, for the Yankees need more than a good year from Robinson to move even into the first division.
But there can be no doubt he's on the spot- and so is the trading judgment of Manager Ralph Houk, who gave Boyer for him."
-George Vass, Baseball Digest (April 1968)
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