Robert Stephenson

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Note: This page is for pitcher Robert Stephenson who made his major league debut in 2016; for others with similar names, click here.

Robert William Stephenson

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Biographical Information[edit]

Robert Stephenson was a first-round pick in the 2011 amateur draft and made his major league debut in 2016.

Stephenson was timed at 98 mph as a high school senior and threw back-to-back no-hitters. He had a 7-2, 1.33 record that year with 132 K to 29 hits in 64 innings. Gatorade named him the California high school player of the year. Baseball America rated him as the #25 prospect entering the 2011 amateur draft. They also named him a second-team high school All-American hurler along with Tyler Beede, Michael Fulmer, Henry Owens and Jose Fernandez and behind Dylan Bundy, Hudson Boyd, Archie Bradley, Dillon Maples and Kyle Smith. He had a letter of intent to the University of Washington when the Cincinnati Reds took him with the 27th pick of the draft. He was the fourth straight high schooler taken in the draft, following Taylor Guerrieri, Joe Ross and Blake Swihart. The scout was Rich Bordi. Stephenson signed for a $2 million bonus. Baseball America named him Cincinnati's #5 prospect entering 2012, between Daniel Corcino and Didi Gregorius.

Stephenson made his pro debut with the 2012 Billings Mustangs on June 19th against the Missoula Osprey. He went 5 innings, striking out 8 with 3 hits, a walk and an unearned run while picking up a no-decision. He spent five full seasons in the minors, climbing slowly but steadily up the Reds' organizational structure, before making his major league debut. Along the way, he was 7-7, 2.99 as a starter between three teams in 2013, then went 7-10, 4.74 in 27 games as a starter with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the AA Southern League in 2014. He split 2015 between Pensacola and the AAA Louisville Bats, going a combined 8-11, 3.83.

Stephenson's major league debut came as a starter for the Reds against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 7, 2016. He was a winner that day and also won his only other outing that April, on April 19th against the Colorado Rockies, but was sent back down to Louisville after that, where he was 8-9, 4.41 in 24 games. He returned to Cincinnati in September and made 6 more starts before the end of the season, but his only decisions were three losses. As a result, he finished the year at 2-3, 6.08.

Stephenson was back with the Reds at the start of the 2017 season, but this time working out of the bullpen. On May 29, he was brought in to replace Lisalverto Bonilla in the 3rd inning and face Troy Tulowitzki of the Toronto Blue Jays with the bases loaded. He promply gave up a grand slam, then gave up a total of 10 hits in only two innings of work. Jake Buchanan replaced him in the 5th, and he also gave up 10 hits in his 3 1/3 innings. It was the first time since July 6, 1929 that two relievers had each surrendered 10 or more hits in a game: Luther Roy and June Greene of the Philadelphia Phillies had been victimized by the St. Louis Cardinals that day. He was sent back to the minors at the end of May. When he returned to the Queen City after the All-Star Game, it was as a starter and 11 of his last 12 appearances were in that role. After losing his first two starts to fall to 0-4, 7.86, he pitched a lot better over the final two months and finished the year at 5-6, 4.68. The biggest issue was his control, as he gave up 53 walks in 84 2/3 innings, even as he struck out 86 batters.

It looked like Stephenson was ready to take the next step and become a full time major league starter in 2018, but the reds decided to give him another year in AAA instead, and he was one of the top pitchers in the International League and an organizational All-Star as he went 11-6, 2.87 in 20 starts for Louisville, with 135 strikeouts in 113 innings. However, he could not transport that success to the major league level, as he was just 0-2, 9.26 in 4 games for the Reds, then was placed on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis at the end of August and did not pitch again that year. In 2019, he was moved to the bullpen full-time and pitched 57 times for the Reds, going 3-2, 3.76 as a middle reliever. His numbers were good, with just 43 hits allowed in 64 2/3 innings, with 81 strikeouts. It looked like he had found his calling, but he suffered a setback in 2020, when the Coronavirus pandemic reduced the season to 60 games, and a back injury limited him to 10 appearances and as many innings, during which he had no decisions, but a 9.90 ERA. The Reds made it to the postseason, but he was not on the roster for the Wild Card Series.

On November 25, 2020, he was traded to the Colorado Rockies along with minor league outfielder Jameson Hannah in return for another former top draft pick, Jeff Hoffman, and a minor league prospect in P Case Williams. Strangely enough, one full month after the end of the 2020 World Series, it was the first trade involving major league players that off-season. He went 2-1, 3.13 in 49 games for the Rockies in 2021, with 52 strikeouts in 46 innings, but had a rough start in 2022, with an ERA of 6.04 in 65 games for Colorado. On August 27th, he was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates and pitched a lot better over the final month, going 0-1, 3.38 in 13 games. In 2023, he was 0-3, 5.14 after 18 games when the Bucs traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays in return for Alika Williams on June 2nd, and was very good the rest of the way, going 3-1, 2.35 in 42 games; his K/W ratio was 60/8. He did not see any action in the postseason, however, and became a free agent after the season. He was able to parlay his success with the Rays into a three-year deal with the pitching-poor Los Angeles Angels.

Sources: MLB.com, 2012 Reds Media Guide, 2012 Baseball Almanac

Further Reading[edit]

  • Brent Maguire: "Angels reach contract with reliever Stephenson", mlb.com, January 202, 2024. [1]

Related Sites[edit]

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