National ace, Robson wants to pitch for Canada’s team

By Todd Devlin June 8, 2011

There are no sure things when it comes to Major League ’s First-Year Player Draft. But when the Toronto Blue Jays announced their fourth round selection on Tuesday afternoon, Tom Robson (Ladner, BC) got exactly what he wanted. The Blue Jays, Canada’s team, chose the Canadian with the 139th pick of the draft.

“It was great. I can’t be anymore happy than to be drafted by the Jays,” said Robson over the phone from his home, as his family and friends continued their post-draft celebration in the background. “I’ve grown up watching the Jays my whole life. I knew quite a few teams were interested, but I was crossing my fingers hoping the Jays would draft me.”

Robson got his wish, and the Jays got a pretty solid 17-year-old right-handed pitcher in Robson, who was the first Canadian selected in the 2011 draft. Scouting director Andrew Tinnish (Ottawa, Ont.) and Canadian scout Jamie Lehman (Brampton, Ont.) were in touch with Robson frequently in the days leading up to the draft, gauging the youngster’s desire to sign once drafted. They obviously liked what they heard.

“I talked to them the day before the first round,” Robson said. “And they knew I wanted to be a Jay. They knew the Jays were my favourite team, and growing up I was watching them.”

There are no sure things when it comes to signing draft picks either, but Robson certainly sounds like a youngster who wants to get signed quickly and embark on a professional career.

“I know it’s a business and everything, but I’d really like to sign with the Blue Jays,” he said. “I’d rather play professional baseball than school, so hopefully my adviser and I can come to a deal with the Blue Jays as soon as possible and I can sign quickly. I’d really like to get my pro career going and have professional instruction that can get me to the big leagues quicker than anything.”

The 17-year-old Delta Secondary School student has committed to Central Arizona Community College, a program that was ranked No. 1 among U.S. junior colleges this year, but Robson is instead already thinking about his foray into the Toronto Blue Jays’ system.

“I’ll probably be sent to the Florida Gulf Coast League,” he said. “And I’ll probably stay there for the rest of the year, and then go back to [Instructional Camp] in September/October.”

In fact, Robson already has his sights set on next year, where he hopes to be pitching in his home province for the Vancouver Canadians, the Jays’ low-A short-season affiliate.

“I think that would be something for me to do next year,” he said, noting that he’d have to pitch well this summer to make it happen. “The Vancouver Canadians are huge in Vancouver. Everyone knows the Vancouver Canadians. If I could play for them, then that would also be really good. That’s my goal.”

But first thing’s first – the rookie-class Florida Gulf Coast League. Robson already has some familiarity with the Blue Jays’ complex in Florida, as the youngster has pitched on a few occasions at the Jays complex in the past year and a half.

“I met a lot of their coaches and a lot of their guys, so it wouldn’t be such a surprise to me to go there,” he said.

In fact, Robson pitched against a handful of players on the Jays’ 40-man roster last February in an exhibition game in St. Petersburg, Florida. Pitching for Canada’s Junior National Team, Robson faced a split-squad of Blue Jays, whose lineup that day included fellow Canadian (Langley, BC).

That experience was just one of many that Robson took part in with the Junior National Team, and he credits that program in helping make him the pitcher he is today.

“When I joined the national team, I was just a guy with a fastball and a good arm,” he said. “But when I threw to some of the extended guys at spring training, I found out that wasn’t good enough. (Port Hope, Ont.) and (Calgary, Alta.) kind of took me on and they taught me that you need to command three pitches to succeed professionally and in the big leagues.”

As a result, Robson started throwing his curveball and changeup a lot more, and he developed a good feel for both pitches, learning to command them like his fastball. Robson believes that’s when he really started performing well.

With Quantrill on hand, Robson, a two-year member of the national team, held Cuba scoreless over six innings in a contest at the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship in Thunder Bay last summer, doing so against Cuban ace Omar Luis.

“Without the junior national guys and the coaches like Greg Hamilton (Ottawa, Ont.), Chris Reitsma and Paul Quantrill, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today, so I really thank them,” said Robson, who phoned each coach shortly after being drafted on Tuesday and thanked them for all of their help.

For his part, Hamilton was very pleased to see his ace drafted on Tuesday.

“Tom has been an important part of our Junior National Team program for the past two seasons,” said Hamilton, the head coach and director of national teams with . “This is a very proud moment for our JNT program, but more importantly, a proud moment for Tom and his family.”

For all the calls Robson made after being drafted, he also received an important one – from Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos .

“He phoned me right after they drafted me, and he congratulated me and told me that he wants to see me in a Blue Jays uniform as soon as possible,” he said.

Robson has already pitched at the Rogers Centre – first as a 15-year-old at the prestigious Mizuno Camp in 2008, and then again at junior national team camps. He’s not trying to get ahead of himself, but the thought of taking the field at the Rogers Centre as a Blue Jay is one that excites the youngster.

“Being a Blue Jay would obviously be pretty special to me.”