Bill Robinson

From The Met Wiki

Bill Robinson was a coach for the Mets from 1984 to 1989. He served on the first base lines and as the team's hitting instructor. Robinson was part of a staff that led the team to 575 regular season wins, two division titles and a World Championship.

Robinson played 16 seasons in the major leagues. He had a career batting average of .258 with 166 home runs in 1472 total games with the Braves, Yankees, Phillies and Pirates. Robinson was a member of the Pirates' World Championship team in 1979.

In Robinson's first year as the Mets' hitting coach, the team batting average improved. After hitting .241 as a team in 1983, the Mets batted .257 in '84. The team also increased its win total from 68 to 90. The Mets hit .257 again in 1985, .263 in the 1986 championship season and .268 in 1987 under Bill's guidance. The Mets had a team batting average of .256 in the division-winning 1988 season. They also hit a total of 880 home runs during Robinson's six-year coaching tenure.

In the 1990s, Robinson served as a minor league instructor. He became the hitting coach for the Florida Marlins in the 2000s. The Marlins batted .266 with Bill on the staff in their World Championship season of 2003.

On July 29, 2007, Robinson passed away in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 64.