Tom  Robson, 75, passed away on April 20, 2021. Tom was a former big league baseball player and coach. Taken by the Mets on the 50th round of the 1967 amateur draft, Robson played two seasons in the major leagues, both with the Texas Rangers. He batted .208 with four RBIs over 23 games and 54 plate appearances in 1974 and '75, playing first base and designated hitter.

His last season as a player was with Nankai in Japan's Pacific League in 1976.

Robson coached in the Rangers' organization, serving as minor league hitting instructor from 1982-85 and then as a member of manager Bobby Valentine's coaching staff from 1986-92.

“As a hitting coach, Robbie was ahead of his times,” Valentine said in a statement. “He used kinetics and launch angle before anyone else did.”

Robson went with Valentine to Japan and was hitting coach of the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Pacific League in 1995 and served stints as the New York Mets’ hitting and bench coach under Valentine from 1997-2000 and in 2002.

Robson was the Cincinnati Reds’ hitting coach from the start of the 2003 season until manager Bob Boone was fired that July, then returned with Valentine to Japan and the Marines in 2004.

In August 1968, Tom and Jeannette were married on the baseball field. They said their vows on home plate. Then they walked under an archway of raised bats (a 21 Bat Salute!), courtesy of both teams. Tom earned a degree in physical education at ASU.

Robson is survived by wife Jeannette (editor of ASURA’s Prime Times Newsletter), sons Adam and David and three grandchildren.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the funeral will be limited to family and a celebration of life will be held at a future date. (Source: Beyond the Dash; Originally published by The Associated Press on April 21, 2021)