Bill Robinson

William Henry Robinson Jr.
Born: June 26, 1943 in McKeesport, PA
Died: July 29, 2007 in Las Vegas, NV
Debut: 1966 | Pos: OF
H: 6'3" | W: 205 | B: R | T: R

>> Visit the BILL ROBINSON biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

Bill Robinson, an outfielder who hit 166 home runs in his 16-year career in the major leagues, died on July 29, 2007 in Las Vegas, N.V. He was 64.

According to wire reports, Robinson was in Las Vegas to visit a minor league team in the Dodgers organization. He failed to show up for his appointment and was found dead in his hotel room, according to reports.

In his career, Robinson hit .258 with 166 home runs, 641 RBI and 71 stolen bases. His career included stops with Atlanta (1966), New York AL (1967-1969), Philadelphia (1972-1974), Pittsburgh (1975-1982) and Philadelphia (1982-1983).

His most productive season came in 1977 with Pittsburgh when he hit .304 with 26 home runs and 104 RBI.

In Nov. 1966, the Braves traded him, along with Chi-Chi Olivo to the Yankees for Clete Boyer. The Yankees traded him in December 1970 to the White Sox for Barry Moore. The following December, the White Sox traded him to the Phillies for a minor leaguer. In April 1975, the Phillies traded Robinson to the Pirates for Wayne Simpson. He was traded in June 1982 by the Pirates back to the Phillies for Wayne Nordhagen.

He played in the 1975 and 1979 National League Championship Series for the Pirates -- both times against Cincinnati. He was hitless in 5 at-bats in the NLCS. In the 1979 World Series win against Baltimore, Robinson hit .263 in 19 at-bats with 2 RBI.

Following his playing career, Robinson worked as the hitting coach for the New York Mets from 1984-1989. He had worked for the Florida Marlins and was in his second year working with the Dodgers.

He had also worked as a minor league instructor for the Yankees and as a minor league coach in the Phillies system. From 1990-1991, he had worked as an analyst on ESPN's Baseball Tonight.