ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Daniel Robert was caught off guard when a scout called him and told him that a major-league organization wanted him — as a pitcher.
Sure, the 6-foot-4 right-hander had thrown in some collegiate games at Auburn, but his focus was stepping into the lefty batter’s box and manning first base or right field for the Tigers. He had an .830 OPS in 60 games in his senior season in 2017, while pitching only 8 1/3 innings.
Since then, Robert, 30, has turned his attention to the mound, but his time as a pitcher has still been limited.