In one year, Robbie Dickey went from unheralded and overlooked to being a fourth-round pick.
After going undrafted in high school and in his freshman year, Dickey was named the top junior college prospect in December, led Blinn College to its first appearance in the Junior College World Series in more than two decades in May, was drafted by the Washington Nationals in June and made his professional debut in July.
For Dickey, the steady progress can be attributed to the work he has put in. "I’ve always been a hard worker, I just needed to tweak some of my mechanics to get the most out of my body," the 20-year-old said. "That’s what I did."
Auburn Doubledays manager Gary Cathcart has been impressed with Dickey since he joined the team earlier this month.
"I like everything I’ve seen," Cathcart said of the 6-3 right-hander. "Good demeanor, a hard worker and that’s always a good place to start."
In his first outing, Dickey was pulled after his pitch count was elevated in the first two innings. With a few defensive miscues behind him, he struck out three and allowed three hits and two earned runs in the loss.
Dickey tossed four scoreless innings in his second outing. He allowed two hits and struck out two.
"My first outing was alright, I just didn’t feel as comfortable as usual," Dickey said.
"[Pitching coach Tim Redding] helped me out a lot and made me feel comfortable again. I was able to attack the zone and command my fastball."
Dickey’s rapid rise through the amateur ranks and into the beginning of his pro career can also be attributed to his mental strength.
"It seems like nothing really fazes him, and that’s a good thing," Cathcart said. "He’s real competitive."
In college, the Austin, Texas native thrived off the pressure of being named the top junior college prospect.
With the proverbial target on his back, Dickey went 9-4 with a 2.74 ERA over 14 starts and struck out 100 batters in 85 ⅓ innings.
"I like the pressure," Dickey said. "I think it brings out the best in people."
(Photo © and courtesy Jeremy Houghtaling @CitizenHough)
Dickey led Blinn to its first berth into the Junior College World Series since 1992. It was also the first appearance for Harvey McIntyre, who has been at the helm for the Buccaneers for more than a decade.
"That was my biggest goal coming into the season, I wanted to get us there," said Dickey, who is close with McIntyre. "Obviously, it’s not an individual effort. Our team came together at the end of the year, and it was awesome to get there."
Besides working on his changeup and overall mechanics in his first pro season in the New York-Penn League (Short Season A), Dickey is also focused on being more consistent.
"If you look at the guys in the pros, the reasons that they’re there is because they are the most consistent," Dickey said. "They can do things and repeat them."
Dickey will have his first small break after the completion of the Doubledays season. He hopes the time to recharge will help with his rise through the ranks for years to come.
The Nationals organization believes he will.
"He’s a good kid, a hard worker," Cathcart said. "I like what I’ve seen so far."