The uncertainty surrounding his baseball future lingered in David Robertson’s mind.
Right elbow soreness derailed Robertson’s 2019 season just seven appearances into a two-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. He tried to rehab the injury but ultimately required Tommy John surgery in August 2019 to repair his ulnar collateral ligament.
Looking back, Robertson says he should have listened to doctors and stopped trying to push through the injury in an effort to avoid surgery.
“I went into Philly with really high hopes,” Robertson told the Tribune. “It was a great opportunity, a great spot to be in and when I got there, my body just let me down.
“And it was a tough road. There was always that fear it was the end.”
Robertson, who turned 37 last month, endured a winding road to get back to the big leagues, where he again is an elite high-leverage reliever. He has been essentially unhittable in the first month of his Chicago Cubs career.
Robertson hasn’t allowed a run through 10 innings this season while giving up just one hit in nine appearances. He leads the Cubs with five saves and has 14 strikeouts and five walks.
The formula for his success: “Having a new elbow — honestly, that’s the biggest thing,” Robertson said. “It’s having a little bit of structure in my day-to-day routine and just feeling healthy again. Having the ability to throw the ball like I was when I was younger.”
His return to the majors, let alone this type of success, was never a given.
Robertson faced a setback in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic affected his rehab from Tommy John surgery, complicated by losing a month because of an outbreak at the Phillies complex in Florida where he was rehabbing. It cost him a shot at returning during the shortened 2020 season.
“I like being the guy that’s depended on, even if it doesn’t always work out in the game,” Robertson said. “I’ve been on the injured list a few times but never for anything like that. So I had to basically say this year and a half is gone.
“My rehab process was a little screwed up, definitely different from most folks. But I got it done and eventually everything healed up.”
Robertson, though, wasn’t content merely to get back to the big leagues. He turned down major-league offers last spring because they weren’t what he was looking for. He felt he was a higher-caliber pitcher than what was reflected in those deals, so he remained a free agent going into the 2021 season.
“I wasn’t going to do it for less than what I thought I was worth,” Robertson explained. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I knew then I wasn’t done. If I had to take a year off (in 2021), I thought I could do it and come back.”
When Robertson learned of a possibility to pitch for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics, he continued to prepare his body and arm. He went on to win a silver medal, tallying two saves in three appearances.
Going into the Olympics, Robertson knew the trade deadline would pass by the end of the tournament. He figured he would be one of the best relief options available, especially when accounting for his postseason experience.
His gamble paid off in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, showing glimpses over the final month and in the postseason of what had made him a valued reliever.
Robertson, again representing himself during contract talks, found the right fit with the Cubs in March on a one-year, $3.5 million contract.
Manager David Ross staunchly avoids naming or referring to a specific closer on his team. When the Rays were at Wrigley Field last month, Ross wryly noted that if a team like the Rays with three straight playoff appearances doesn’t need to denote a closer, why do the Cubs?
Ross clearly wants to maintain flexibility in how he uses the back end of the bullpen without worrying about the perception of which relievers are entrenched in certain roles. The Cubs bullpen seems to be on board with this flexible approach, and it has paid off. The relievers have been generally reliable, posting a 3.45 ERA that ranked 12th in the majors through Sunday.
But while Robertson hasn’t officially been called the Cubs closer, they’re consistently using him in save opportunities. His five saves are four more than right-handers Rowan Wick and Mychal Givens have.
The things Ross values in pitchers he continues to see from Robertson — throwing strikes, getting ahead of hitters, nasty breaking balls. Adding those qualities to Robertson’s poise and veteran experience has been an extremely effective combination.
“The calmness, the pace, the intent in which he pitches has really stood out to me,” Ross said during last week’s road trip. “I love the fact that he mixes his deliveries. There’s a real slide step there. You’re not going to be able to take advantage of running on him or messing up his rhythm. He’s messing with the timing of the hitter. Very deceptive.”
Only the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Dillon Peters (11⅓ innings) and the Cleveland Guardians’ Trevor Stephan (10⅔) own longer scoreless-innings streaks to begin the season than Robertson.
“He is so consistent day in and day out,” Cubs bullpen coach Chris Young said, “and as he’s coming off an incredibly short sprint for him, he’s continued to build arm strength, continue to build reps, the stuff’s trending up a little bit.
“But the consistency at which he pitches, it just gives you that vibe of he could roll out of bed and throw a down-and-away strike and a curveball for a strike. It’s incredible the roll he’s gotten back on now that he’s healthy again.”
Baseball Savant’s Statcast data indicate Robertson is throwing a career-high 33.8% sliders since he first started using the pitch in 2017. Meanwhile, his typical go-to curveball sits at a career-low 15.9%. When asked about how the pitches’ usage differs from career trends, Robertson explained he doesn’t view them as distinct pitches.
“It’s just a breaking ball,” he said. “I don’t consider them different. I grip them slightly different and roll them off. I’m just trying to keep them from getting hit, so whatever it takes.”
Robertson’s off-speed stuff has been a key part of keeping hitters in check. The lone hit he surrendered came off his cutter, while only nine of the 78 off-speed pitches he has thrown have been put in play.
Said Young: “The ability to add and subtract velocity, to change shapes, to throw one in put-away counts, to move it around — his feel for that off-speed pitch to make it do different things at different velocities in different locations is a huge piece of the success for him.”
Robertson is generating the highest ground-ball rate (52.9%) of his 14-year career. Hitters have yet to barrel a ball off him. He is striking out 38.9% of batters while recording a 75% first-pitch strike rate.
All of it plays into Robertson’s lights-out performance.
