Robinson has Wrigley Field aspirations

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DES MOINES, Iowa – As word spread that the starting catcher for the Chicago Cubs was headed to the disabled list, the messages began flooding into Chris Robinson's cell phone.

"As soon as it happened, former teammates and everybody was texting me, seeing whether I would be the guy," the former Illinois catcher said.

The guy, that is, to take Geovany Soto's place on the Cubs' 25-man roster.

It was a reasonable question, given Robinson's status as the starting catcher for the Cubs' highest-level minor league team. Given that the two-time All-Big Ten first-teamer continues to hit well above .300 this season. Given that the 2004 Illini MVP was highly regarded enough to be selected a starter in this month's Class AAA All-Star Game.

The one message Robinson was most eager to receive, however, never came. After Soto went on the DL on July 11, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry opted not to add a catcher. Instead, he went with utilityman Jake Fox – a former Michigan catcher – as the lone backup to Soto's replacement, Koyie Hill.

Robinson, at least publicly, took the news in stride.

"I wasn't expecting (a call-up) by any means," the former Illini said. "It was one of those things where it would have been great. But at the same time, hopefully, it's not the only chance or the only time that I might fit into their plans."

Robinson's chances of joining the Cubs were – and still are – complicated by the fact that he is not on the team's 40-man roster. To be eligible to play in the major leagues, it's mandatory for a player to be on that list.

When Soto was injured, Hendry decided not to remove another player off the 40-man roster to make room for Robinson. In fact, the Cubs still have two catchers on their 40-man: Soto and Hill.

The fact that Soto was hurt days before the All-Star break meant the Cubs would be without their starting catcher for fewer games than under normal circumstances. So Hendry has chosen to ride Hill during Soto's absence and cross his fingers that Fox will be needed little – if at all – behind the plate.

"When that happened (to Soto), I'm sure Chris thought he had a chance," Iowa manager Bobby Dickerson said. "But the organization went another route. It was not a reflection on Chris. They just decided they needed to be stronger in another area (of the team)."

Meanwhile, Robinson continues to go about his business. He has no other choice.

"It's not going to change what I'm doing down here," the fifth-year pro said. "I'm just going to continue to work and the next time something happens, I'll hopefully be the guy."

Fork in the road

The fact that Robinson even was in the discussion to replace Soto is a measure of how far the London, Ontario, native has progressed in one season.

Robinson's career appeared to be at a crossroads following the 2008 campaign, when he appeared in 49 games at Class AA Tennessee, by far his fewest appearances in any full season since turning pro. His offense was the primary reason the former third-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers was on the bench far more than on the field. A .274 career hitter entering the season, Robinson's batting average plummeted to .214 in 159 at-bats.

"Last year, it's no secret I was miserable," he said. "Playing terribly and I didn't play a ton."

When the 6-foot, 200-pounder reported to spring training in February, Robinson understood his status with the Cubs' organization was far from secure.

"I was a guy that was coming in to win a spot," he said. "Coming into camp, I really didn't know what to expect, whether I was going to be in Double-A, Triple-A or whether I was going to be completely released. I thought I could be going home as easily as I could be going to Iowa or Tennessee."

Robinson entered that pressure-packed scenario with a sense of calmness and even confidence. During the winter, he married longtime girlfriend Amy Beldman and bought a house in their hometown.

"That made me relax a little bit," Robinson said. "There's more to it than baseball. As much as I want baseball to work out, if it doesn't, there's always something to fall back on."

He also could fall back on at least one positive baseball memory from the summer of '08. Robinson not only was selected to play for Canada in the Beijing Olympics but also ended up starting five of the team's seven games and hit .313 in 16 at-bats.

"I think that kind of gave me confidence going into this year," he said. "If I can play at this level, I should be able to play over in the States at a high level, too. So I think that helped a lot."

Hit parade

During spring training, a rejuvenated Robinson not only earned a Class AAA roster spot for the first time in his career but he also claimed the starting catching job that he was expected to split with former major leaguer Mark Johnson. Claimed it with his bat.

Starting with a 2-for-3 performance in his first game, Robinson went on an extraordinary tear that lasted through May. Hitting safely in 24 of his first 27 games, the right-handed batter built a .396 average in that span. On May 31, his average stood at .384.

"It really helped to get off to a pretty good start," Robinson said. "Especially when you're going up a level, there's always in the back of your mind, 'Do I belong here?' So to get off to such a great start, I think that helped me settle in and settle down."

When Robinson finally hit a self-described "rough patch," he battled his way out of it. Since going 0 for 17 at the start of June, Robinson has gone hitless in consecutive starts only once. Through Wednesday, he was hitting .314 with 14 doubles and 32 RBI.

"He's a very confident-looking hitter right now," Dickerson said. "His swing has gotten a lot shorter this year, and he's attacked the ball better."

If there's any glitch in Robinson's game this season, it's dealing with base runners. Although he's regarded as a solid receiver and works well with pitchers, Robinson has thrown out only nine of 59 runners who've attempted to steal.

"He needs to get a little quicker release time and a little better accuracy," Dickerson said. "It's a work in progress. Pretty much that's the only thing his game is missing."

Wrigley on horizon

Robinson wasn't missing when the Class AAA All-Star Game came to Portland in mid-July. The Pacific Coast League's starting catcher went 1 for 2 and scored a run in five innings during a 6-5 loss to the International League.

It was the second All-Star appearance of Robinson's pro career, following an invitation to the 2006 Florida State League festivities as a reserve.

"It was pretty interesting getting to catch some of the different guys around the league," he said.

Plenty of fans caught this game. Besides a national cable television audience, a crowd of 16,637 – the third largest in Class AAA All-Star history – turned out at PGE Park.

"It was a great atmosphere in there that night," Robinson said. "It was really exciting around town. There were signs up everywhere, so they wined and dined us, for sure."

The 25-year-old's upcoming ballpark tour will include – yes, it's true – Wrigley Field. Assuming Robinson is still with the Iowa Cubs on Aug. 9, he'll play on the big league Cubs' home turf for a PCL game against Las Vegas.

For the Iowa Cubs, it's a once-a-year trek to the Windy City. For Robinson, it's a brief glimpse into a workplace that could be a regular stop in the future. And he's not fussy about whether that would be in the home dugout or the visitor's.

"I hope I work into their plans," Robinson said, "but at the end of the day, if it doesn't work with the Cubs, maybe it will work with someone else. We always say you're not only playing for the team you're with but you're playing for the 29 others."

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