After finally getting a shot, Clint Robinson feeling extra motivation

The 2015 season was a year of firsts for Nationals first baseman Clint Robinson: He made his first major league opening day roster, played outfield for the first time in his professional career, blasted his first homer in the majors, experienced the birth of his first child and even pitched his first full inning in the big leagues.

All of it happened for Robinson, 30, after playing 928 games in the minors from 2007-2014. Originally a twenty-fifth round draft pick out of Troy (Ala.) University by Kansas City in 2007, Robinson bounced around the farm inside the Royals, Blue Jays and Dodgers organizations. Despite a decorated minor league career that included a career .302 batting average and Texas League Triple Crown, Robinson barely sniffed the majors. He played in four games with the Royals in 2012 and another nine with the Dodgers in 2014.

But that was all the big league experience Robinson brought to the table when he received an invite to Nationals spring training on a minor league contract last winter. He was relatively unknown to most in the Nats organization, but quickly opened eyes with a scorching bat once the Grapefruit League season began.

However, Robinson's offensive prowess wasn't enough to gain a spot on the Nats roster. Washington was looking for a hybrid player who could play the outfield and back up first base. At 6-foot-5, 245 lbs., the outfield was mostly foreign to Robinson. But he accepted the challenge, playing several innings - some adventurous - in windy Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Fla., and eventually claiming the final spot on the Nationals opening day roster.

With Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth spending large chunks of the season on the disabled list, Robinson ended up becoming a valuable reserve for the Nationals. He batted .272/.358/.424 with 10 homers, 15 doubles and 34 RBIs in 352 plate appearances over 126 games. Robinson's left-handed bat also provided a solid pinch-hit option for the Nationals off the bench as well.

He ended up playing 44 games at first base, 37 in the outfield, three as the designated hitter and one as a lefty reliever on the mound. That special moment came in an attempt to save the Nationals bullpen in a blowout loss to the Diamondbacks in mid-May. Robinson tossed a scoreless frame, which included a swinging strikeout.

Robinson became much more comfortable in the outfield during the second half of last season and expects to only improve with another full spring training.

"Last year was kind of crash course for me," Robinson said. "This year coming in I'll definitely have a better outlook on it because I feel like I can do it. I'm not gonna come in and say 'Oh man, what's gonna happen.' Now it's just go out there, get my work in and prepare myself for the season. It won't be so much of 'Oh crap.' You know, because that's what it kind of was like last year. This year, it will be more like 'OK, that's my job. I'm coming in ready to go. Let's just get the work in and get it done.'"

So entering his second year in Washington, Robinson has spent most of the early part of the offseason focusing on transforming his body in preparation for potentially more time in the outfield in 2016.

"I don't really think I was in the best of shape to take on left field during the summer months in Washington," said a noticeably lighter Robinson recently during Nationals Winterfest. "I've taken the proper course to kind of slim down a little bit and work on my conditioning. As a first baseman, I didn't really worry about getting winded or my legs getting tired because there wasn't all that much to it. But in those middle months when you're in Game 120 and it's hot outside, if those legs are dragging, it can affect your defense. So I've definitely been more geared toward conditioning. You know, slimming down so I can move a little better if I need to play the outfield."

With his first full season in the majors under his belt, Robinson says this winter has even elevated his level of desire after spending most of his professional career in the minors.

"It's been different," he indicated. "When you're in the minor leagues, the offseason can become kind of stale and it's kind of hard to get motivated when you're (thinking) 'I'm just gonna be back in Triple-A' and all that kind of stuff. But now that I've spent a year in the big leagues, I feel like I'm part of the team up here. It's definitely given me some extra motivation to go out and continue to work hard and try and get better.

"I'm gonna approach this spring training like I did every other one. I'm gonna come in like I'm a non-roster guy fighting for a spot. That keeps me going. I'm not gonna sit back and say just because I had a little bit of success last year that I've got anything guaranteed because I know I don't. This team has high expectations. There's gonna be competition and guys coming in looking to fill those spots. So I'm gonna come in more driven than ever."

Count Robinson as another one of the many Nationals excited to play for new manager Dusty Baker.

"He's had Barry Bonds for goodness sakes," Robinson said. "He's managed the best. He's managed the most controversial, the best players ... all that kind of stuff. He's done it all."

Robinson says he was around 6 or 7 when his father bought Baker's book "You Can Teach Hitting" for him. He studied it as young child and still has the book somewhere in his mom's house.

"I'm gonna try and get it from her before I go to spring training and maybe have him sign it or something," Robinson said.

Robinson, a massive Alabama football fan, will undoubtedly be locked into the Crimson Tide's playoff matchup with Michigan State at the Cotton Bowl tonight.

Happy new year!