Robertson signs Free Agent Contract with Oakland A's
Aug 20, 2001 | Baseball
Aug. 20, 2001
Manhattan, Kan. - Kansas State senior right-handed pitcher Luke Robertson signed a free-agent contract with the Oakland Athletics late Sunday, thus foregoing his final year of eligibility at Kansas State.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound native of Valley Center, Kan., capped off an impressive junior season at Kansas State with an incredible summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League. He followed that experience with a stint with the Wichita Twins in the National Baseball Congress (NBC) World Series held the past two weeks in Wichita, Kan.
"Obviously, we are excited for Luke (Robertson) that he was able to sign a professional contract," said Kansas State head baseball coach Mike Clark. "That is one of the goals that we want all of our players to achieve in their careers here at Kansas State. However, we are disappointed that we won't have his talent and experience on the mound for the 2002 season."
Playing in the nation's premier summer wood-bat league for the Harwich (Mass.) Mariners, Robertson excelled from the mound, posting the sixth-lowest ERA in the league at a paltry 1.46. He was one of eight pitchers named to the 19-member East Division All-Stars picked to represent the division at the Sprint PCS Cape Cod League All-Star Game on July 17. Overall, he recorded a 3-3 record with one save in nine appearances and six starts for the Harwich. He ranked second on the team with 59 strikeouts in 55-1/3 innings. He was named the 23rd-best prospect in the Cape Cod League by Baseball America.
As a member of the Wichita Twins, Robertson continued to post impressive numbers in the NBC World Series. In two games, he allowed just four hits in 16.0 innings pitched with a 0.00 ERA. He held opposing batters to a .082 average, which ranked fourth in the tournament. He struck out 12 batters in a 5-1 complete game victory over Cotton State (Mass.) Stars, while he allowed just one hit in a 6-1 win over Prairie Gravel (Ill.). He was named to the All-American team for the tournament and tied for Best Pitcher accolades. He was also named the tournament's Favorite Local Player.
The Wildcats' No. 1 starter for most of the 2001 season, Robertson consistently performed well despite being thrown against everyone else's top hurler. He led the team across the board in pitching, including wins (7), game started (13), complete games (3), innings pitched (90.1) and strikeouts (87). Robertson ranked among the top 10 in the Big 12 in three categories, including fifth in strikeouts per game (8.69), eighth in wins (7) and eighth in innings pitched (90.1). Five of the team's 10 wins in conference play came in his starts, including victories over Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. He became the Wildcats' first Big 12 Pitcher of the Week in more than four years on May 7 after he tossed his second consecutive complete game in conference play with a season-high 11 strikeouts in a 2-1 win over Kansas. In just two full seasons at K-State, he had already tied for eighth place in career strikeouts in school history with 160.
He was one of eight Wildcats named to the Coaches All-Big 12 team, as he was an honorable mention selection.
He becomes the fourth Wildcat to sign a professional contract this summer, following senior Josh Cavender (Florida Marlins), Kelvin Day (Independent League) and Scott Tallman (San Diego Padres).
