New guy Will Robertson comes to Toronto from the land of a Blue Jays legend
The journey to the big leagues was not a simple or particularly swift one for Blue Jays outfielder Will Robertson.
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Along the way, there were twists and turns through 491 minor-league games spread over parts of six seasons and five different Toronto farm teams before finally getting called to the Show earlier this month.
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The trip from his home in tiny Loose Creek, Mo., to a brush with Blue Jays greatness, though? It couldn't have been easier.
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If roots account for anything, the humble, personable Robertson is both in good shape and good company with the Jays.
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Less than 10 minutes from Loose Creek, a tiny town of 300 (give or take) where Robertson grew up on a cattle farm, is Taos, an equally small burg better known as the home of Tom Henke, a World Series champ with the Jays and the franchise's all-time saves leader.
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And yes, the connection wasn't lost on the 27-year-old Robertson nor the 67-year-old Henke.
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'He's a great guy, whose down to earth, does a ton for the community and loves mid Missouri,' Robertson said of Henke, who has been a quiet but steady influence on his career. 'I always see him around and he's always asked how things are going.
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'He's a good role model and good support to have.'
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Henke was well known to the family in an area Robertson describes as having 'more cattle than people, for sure.'
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But the connection with the Terminator — as Henke was known by fans through his lethal run as Jays closer from 1985-1992 — became stronger after Toronto selected Robertson in the eighth round of the 2019 MLB draft.
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There was advice and support along the way, an organic connection given their shared roots on the baseball diamond and off.
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'He just talked to me about how cool it was to get to the big leagues this year and to make the journey my own,' Robertson said. 'He said everybody does it on their own time and for told me to make the best of it.'
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It has just been a week, but Robertson is soaking up all of his fledgling Jays experience since being called up by the team on June 11 to provide some outfield depth. The dream never died for Robertson, a strapping 6-foot-1 215-pounder who hits from the left side, even after such an at-times arduous trek up the farm system ladder.
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'It's been fun to reflect a bit and and get a chance to be here with the guys you've been able to come up with and be around them here in the big leagues,' Robertson said during a quiet moment in the Jays dugout this week. 'There was the shock of getting called up and that whole emotion. But then I think you then go to, how do you contribute to the team? How do you help the team win?
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