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Cleburne Railroaders

Cleburne Signs Former Ranger Robertson, Texas Native Dotson

June 16, 2019 - American Association (AA)
Cleburne Railroaders News Release


CLEBURNE, Texas - With the recent release of infielder Jared Reaves due to injury, the Cleburne Railroaders were in search of a veteran presence capable of handling second base. The 'Roaders have found their man in former Major Leaguer Daniel Robertson.

Robertson's addition is one of several Cleburne moves on Sunday. Right-handed pitcher Conner Dotson has also been signed, while rookies Hayden Shenefield and Joshua Fonseca have been placed on waivers. The Railroaders roster now stands at 23 players, the maximum allowed under American Association regulations.

The 33-year old Robertson spent parts of four seasons at the game's highest level, suiting up for four different franchises in the process. In 2014, Robertson played 70 games with the Texas Rangers, hitting .271 with nine doubles and 21 RBI. The following year, the native of Fontana, Calif., was acquired by the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for a player to be named later. Robertson played 37 games with the Angels, hitting .280. He was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners in 2016, but only saw action in nine games with the Mariners that year, recording five hits. A minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians in 2017 produced Robertson's latest MLB experience, as the right-handed hitter spent 32 games with the Tribe and produced a .225 average. He hit his first Major League home run on June 13 of that year against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Robertson started the 2019 season with the Kansas City T-Bones, playing in 13 games before the T-Bones named him their hitting coach. He spent the 2018 campaign with the Sugar Land Skeeters, then played in the Mexican Pacific Winter League with Obregon and Jalisco.

Robertson played his first three collegiate seasons at NAIA Concordia before wrapping up his college career at Oregon State, where he was named Honorable Mention All-Pac 10. The San Diego Padres selected him in the 33rd Round of the 2008 MLB Draft, and he played his first seven pro seasons in the Padres system. All told, Robertson is a career .289 hitter with 49 home runs in 12 professional seasons. He has stolen 218 bases in his career, including five seasons with 20 or more swipes. Defensively, Robertson has primarily been an outfielder, but has also played 67 career games at second base.

Dotson is a true rookie, having just completed his senior season with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas. The native of Flower Mound went 2-1 with a 4.42 ERA for the Vaqueros, making nine starts and working 36.2 innings to help UTRGV win a share of the WAC regular season championship. The 6'4, 215 pounder held opponents to just a .186 batting average, the lowest in the conference, while also going the entire season without allowing a home run. He struck out 38 and walked 25 while allowing 26 hits.

Dotson began his college career at West Virginia, where he played parts of four seasons with the Mountaineers. His best season came as a freshman, when the right-hander notched a 3.88 ERA in 18 appearances, seven of which were starts. He sustained a season-ending injury in 2018 after just five outings and transferred to UTRGV as a graduate student, where he was reunited with former West Virginia pitching coach Derek Matlock, the head coach for the Vaqueros. Dotson finished his college career 12-13 with a 4.51 ERA, appearing in 58 games while making 26 starts.

The Railroaders and Sioux City Explorers continue their series on Sunday night at 6:05. Nefi Ogando (0-2, 4.97) gets the ball for Cleburne, while Sioux City counters with right-hander Taylor Jordan (1-3, 4.31).

For information on partnerships, season tickets, group outings, and party packages, call the Railroaders main office at (817) 945-8705, or visit the Railroaders official website at www.railroaderbaseball.com.

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