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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

ANAHEIM, Cal. – One of Shelby County’s greatest baseball exports got his welcome to the show in his first big league moment.

The Texas Rangers called up Daniel Robert on Monday, July 8 from its Triple-A affiliate the Round Rock Express to make his first appearance in Major League Baseball.

Robert debuted as a relief pitcher for the Rangers on Wednesday, July 11 on the road against the Los Angeles Angels. He came in during the seventh inning stretch with Texas trailing 5-2 and struck out the first batter he faced, Anthony Rendon.

He gave up just one single in the seventh before getting out of the inning and started out the eighth with two outs and a walk before a two-run Zach Neto home run spelled the end of his debut in a 7-2 Rangers loss.

Robert finished with two strikeouts across 1.2 innings against two hits, a walk and two earned runs, both of which came off the home run.

The 29-year-old Hoover native was a standout player at Briarwood Christian during his high school career and made a big impact for the Lions.

Robert won Shelby County Player of the Year honors in 2011 after batting .546 during his sophomore season. He made the All-State team in 2011, 2012 and 2013, was named to the All-County team for four straight seasons and was a North-South All-Star Game selection. At one point, ESPN ranked Robert as the top position player in the state of Alabama.

He then took his talents to the Plains and played four seasons at Auburn from 2014 to 2017. Robert quickly became a regular starting designated hitter as a freshman before starting as a first baseman in 2015 and splitting time between there and right field for his junior year.

Robert helped the Tigers reach the regional round of the NCAA tournament in 2015 and 2017, and in the latter season he led his team with 42 RBI.

Robert was drafted by the Rangers in the 21st round in 2017 as a pitcher despite barely featuring on the mound for Auburn. In college, he had 14 pitching appearances and earned a 2.16 ERA in six appearances as a senior.

What’s more, the Rangers discovered that Robert needed Tommy John surgery after he reported to their facility. However, he fought through a quick six-month recovery to earn a contract with the organization and began a five-year journey to become the pitcher he is today.

He’s spent the last three seasons in Triple-A with Round Rock, and in 2024, he is fourth among eligible pitchers in the Pacific Coast League with a 2.35 ERA. He recently racked up a streak of 19 scoreless innings from May 22 to July 4 and has five saves on the year.

Robert and the Rangers will travel back to the Lone Star State for a three-game road series at the Houston Astros from July 12-14 before the All-Star break. All games will be streamed on MLB.tv with first pitch on Friday at 7:10 p.m. CT, Saturday at 3:10 p.m. CT and Sunday at 1:10 p.m. CT.