While he was growing up in the Netherlands with aspirations to someday play baseball professionally, Cardinals prospect Sem Robberse regularly followed Major League Baseball once it became more available to him.
There were, however, some intricacies within MLB that weren’t common knowledge for fans in his home country.
Count MLB’s Rule 5 draft as one of them.
“It’s easier to explain (that) you have an active roster, you got a 40-man roster … and then they (family) kind of get a certain clue of what it’s like,†Robberse said recently at Busch Stadium during Cardinals Winter Warm-up. “You got to bring up other sports too — usually soccer. Like, this is kind of what it would be like. But it’s sometimes tough to explain just because it’s so different.â€
Coming off his fourth season of minor league baseball and fifth year as a pro since signing as an international free agent in 2019, the 22-year-old entered this offseason eligible for the Rule 5 draft for the first time in his career. He was aware of his status and what the process could entail if he went unprotected from the draft.
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That made gaining 40-man status ahead of MLB’s Rule 5 protection deadline last November all that more meaningful.
“It was a pretty big shock,†said Robberse, who expected to be added but tempered expectations in the leadup to the deadline. “I mean, the fact that I’ve made it this far in (my) journey, that’s kind of surreal. … I think it’s a great opportunity and great accomplishment to be put on the 40-man.â€
Gaining 40-man roster status for the first time in his career not only gave Robberse protection from the Rule 5 draft but also put him a step closer to achieving his dream of getting to the major leagues.
Though, he doesn’t want the latter to weigh too heavily on his mind.
“In my head, it doesn’t change too much because I don’t want it to be an outside factor having (an) influence on the decisions I make or the path I take,†Robberse said. “I like to keep it simple for myself and work on what I need to work on. I mean, there are certain things that I know that I can get better at and that will help (with) playing in the big leagues.â€
“But I don’t want to put the 40-man (status) on top of me as extra pressure because — it’s you being put on the 40-man, but you’re still playing the same game. Even when you go to the big leagues, it’s still the same game. You don’t really want to put the extra pressure on top of it.â€
After opening the MiLB season in Class AA, the 22-year-old debuted in Class AAA this past summer after he was dealt from the Blue Jays system to the Cardinals as a part of the Jordan Hicks deal. In his introduction to the new level, Robberse posted a 4.84 ERA and an 11.21 K/9 over 35 1/3 innings for Memphis.
He encountered initial struggles against more advanced hitters and was dealt the challenge of needing to adapt to the automated strike zone that was introduced across all of Triple-A last year. Once he got more adjusted, the righty’s final stretch of the Class AAA season included three outings during which he maintained a 2.20 ERA and struck out 25 batters over 16 1/3 innings.
The strong September bookended a regular season that consisted of a 4.28 ERA and 130 strikeouts across 124 innings.
Trusting his arsenal was a key to finishing positively.
“My stuff plays. I just have to go out there and put it in front of them,†he said in a phone interview after his final outing of the year last September.
Though new to 40-man roster status, Robberse’s big league spring this year won’t be his first. Robberse got his first big league spring experience a year ago as a non-roster invitee to Blue Jays camp but did not pitch in a Grapefruit League game.
He expects the scene to be “different†from a year ago.
“The past few years I’ve been walking around the Blue Jays (camp) and you hear things there but I’ve already heard different things as soon as I got over to Memphis,†he said. “I’m excited to see what I can learn here and what people got for me.â€
Included in his change of scenes during 2023 was a change for Robberse’s offseason locations. After having spent most of his past winters in the Netherlands and surrounded by family, the righty has instead spent the winter in Tampa, Florida. His family came to him for the holidays.
He says the Cardinals have not tried to “change a whole lot†with him and how he uses his pitch mix to his advantage. In regards to his offseason work, prepping his body for the long haul of the season has been his target. Good health is a goal he takes “pride†in considering staying of the injured list is what will help keep the rest of his development on track.
“I hope that they (the Cardinals staff) see that I did put in the work,†Robberse said. “It’s also more for myself knowing that I’m able to do this, I’m capable of doing this and I’ve got these tools I’m able to use in this way against hitters. That’s kind of what drives me more rather than showing other people what I got.â€