PITTSBURGH — Outfielder Robbie Grossman accomplished a rare feat with the High-A Bradenton Marauders this year. In 134 games, Grossman drew 104 walks and scored 127 runs, becoming the first minor leaguer since Nick Swisher in 2004 to score at least 100 runs and walk 100 times in the same season.<\/p>\n
Grossman, who turned 22-years-old this month, didn\u2019t even think about achieving such a feat until last week after his Minor League season ended.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really thought about it, and was like, \u2018wow.\u2019 That\u2019s a lot of running. It\u2019s a great honor,\u201d He said.<\/p>\n
Grossman also earned Florida State League post-season All-Star honors this year while becoming the first minor leaguer since Adam Piatt in 1999 of the Oakland Athletics\u2019 organization to score at least 127 runs in a season.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou play 130 games, most times if you do well, you get moved up,\u201d Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. \u201cYou got to have the combination of doing well and there not being any movement in the organization. He\u2019s going to the Arizona Fall League. He also scored a 127 runs, the first time somebody\u2019s done that in a long time as well. Offensive player. I think he plays well on the other side of the ball. I\u2019m looking forward to going to the Fall League and seeing him play a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being able to draw over 100 walks in 134 game requires great plate discipline, a great asset for such a young player.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hit leadoff and I knew that coming into the season. I knew my role to get on base and let the other guys behind me, drive me in,\u201c Grossman said. \u201cI just tried to use that to my advantage and just ran with it from there\u201d<\/p>\n
After having a huge season in High-A, the Pittsburgh Pirates today named outfielder Robbie Grossman their minor league Player-of-the-year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a blessing and it\u2019 been an amazing season, just looking to build on it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Grossman hit .294 with 34 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 56 RBI in 134 games while spending the entire season with High-A Bradenton.<\/p>\n
His success this season, he contributes to hitting left-handed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been weird all my life, I threw left-handed hit right-handed,\u201c Grossman said. \u201cI\u2019ve only been hitting left-handed a couple years now. I\u2019m finally getting more comfortable with that, figuring out how to use that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Marauders, who made their second straight postseason appearance, lost the deciding game of the Florida State League South Division Series to the St. Loucie Mets.<\/p>\n
\u201c[He] definitely was a big part of that club in Bradenton,\u201c Hurdle said. \u201cThey had a very hard first half and just an extremely, almost the flip side of our two halves right here, it was tough sledding the first half. The second half, they were just throwing it out there, banging people. And finished extremely strong. Robbie was a big part of that. He had a good season. He\u2019s being rewarded. We\u2019ll see what he can do in this next challenge and have some fun in the Fall League.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really gelled,\u201c Grossman said. \u201cA lot of us guys, we never really played together, knew each other before at the beginning of the year. But we really gelled and came together as a team, guys stepped up and did what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grossman, who was selected by the Pirates in the sixth round of the 2008 draft out of Cupress Fairbanks (Texas) High School, will represent Pittsburgh in the Arizona Fall League, which kicks off on October 4th<\/sup>. Grossman will join pitchers Gerrit Cole, Nathan Baker, Michael Colla, Phillip Irwin, and infielders Brock Holt and Jarek Cunningham to compete for the Mesa Solar Sox against other clubs highly regarded prospects.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a great honor, and I\u2019m really looking forward to it,\u201c Grossman said. \u201cI leave next week and I\u2019m really excited about it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust play, and have fun, a chance to get to play against a higher competition.\u201d<\/p>\n