Robinson continues to help Cardinals in scouting capacity

It's the summer dream of nearly every boy to play in the major leagues, to lead your favorite team to a World Series victory, and put that ring on your finger.

That was Kerry Robinson's dream, too. And although Robinson never got to taste a World Series victory as a player on the field, when he finally did place that ring on his finger, it tasted just as sweet.

Robinson, a former Southeast Missouri State star, played parts of seven seasons in the major leagues with five different teams. He played for the Cardinals from 2001 to 2003 and retired from the game after the 2007 season.

After a few years in the financial business, Robinson returned to the game he loved, signing on as a scout with St. Louis in 2011 -- the season the Cardinals won the World Series in seven games over the Texas Rangers.

Robinson finally got his ring -- and much more.

Former Cardinals and Southeast Missouri State outfielder Kerry Robinson autographs Cardinals memorabilia for Kenneth Stroup on Monday at the Cardinals Caravan stop at the Osage Centre.

"I got hired in the winter of 2010, started in 2011, and my first year we won the World Series," he said. "I got that World Series ring I was chasing as a player."

Robinson presently scouts 12 teams in the Class AA and Class A leagues, as well as players from the Pirates, Cubs, White Sox, Tigers and Royals.

"I don't have a lot of time to get home during the summer, but that's part of the job," he said.

Robinson was a part of the 2014 Cardinals Caravan that invaded the Osage Center on Monday evening. Present and former Cardinals players, along with other team dignitaries, entertained more than 250 fans with stories and anecdotes from the 2013 season and predictions for the 2014 season ahead.

"I try to get down here at least twice a year," Robinson said. "I love coming back to Cape. It feels like a home away from home."

As a scout, the information Robinson provides proves valuable to Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak, who is constantly pursuing potential trades for players who not only can help the Cardinals' major league team but also keep its traditionally strong minor league affiliates intact.

"I go out and I watch players, do reports on them, throw them in our system in case Mozeliak wants to make a trade or sign a guy in free agency, he has some information on those guys," Robinson said. "There's about seven or eight guys that do the same thing I do mixed around the country. It's all about improving the team so we can keep on winning and win championships.

"I basically go out and judge their skills, put grades on their skills -- their running grades, their arm strength and batting power, those types of things -- and write a scouting report on each individual player. If John Mozeliak wants to trade for a guy, he wants to know what he's getting. And that's what guys like myself do."

It's a different world than when Robinson played the game for a living. Back then, Robinson lived in the moment: that moment when the pitch came roaring in from 60 feet, 6 inches away, or when he chased the ball off the bat to the deepest part of the outfield before making the catch.

After starring at St. Louis' Hazelwood East High School, Robinson attended Southeast Missouri State, where he had a hitting streak of 35 consecutive games in 1995, a school record which stood until 2012. He was an All-Ohio Valley Conference selection that season after hitting .385 overall and .457 in conference play.

He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 34th round in 1995. He was eventually traded to Tampa Bay, where he made his pro debut with the Devil Rays in 1998. After stints with the Reds, Cardinals, Padres and Royals, Robinson signed a minor-league deal with the Boston Red Sox's Class AAA affiliate in Pawtucket, R.I., in 2007. But before the season began, he was released to make room on the 40-man roster for a player named Jacoby Ellsbury.

"I called my agent and said, "That's it," he said with a laugh. "I had a good career, but it was coming down to the wire and I wanted to start my next career at the age of 33 as opposed to hanging around."

When the opportunity to become a scout for the Cardinals came, Robinson was ready.

"As a player, you don't get to see that side of the organization," he said. "This will be my fourth year scouting, and I've learned a ton on how they evaluate guys, how they go about things."

Robinson said the Cardinals use some of the philosophies from "Moneyball" -- the movie about how the Oakland Athletics, behind general manager Billy Beane, helped change the way baseball players are evaluated. Beane used computerized analysis of players' statistics in an effort to put the most cost-efficient team on the field.

"We do use some of that stuff, but we also believe in what the scouts see and what the scouts experience," Robinson said. "John Mozeliak does a really good job at mixing the two to get the best possible information that comes back in, and they make a decision from there."

If the results from the past few seasons are any indication, Robinson finds himself on a team that's on the right track. The Cardinals lost the World Series last season in six games to -- ironically -- the Red Sox. Still, the Cardinals are considered to be the favorites to win their second straight National League Central Division title.

"When you start off winning a World Championship, you really can't expect to win every year after that," Robinson said, noting that, as National League champions in 2013, he has another ring coming. "Maybe not as big as that 2011 one, but as long as we keep collecting jewelry, I think everybody will be happy with that."

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