Former pitcher Jeff Mark Robinson died on Sunday:

Robinson, a California native, was drafted out of Asuza Pacific University by the Tigers in the third round of the 1983 draft. Current Tigers hitting coach Wally Joyner was selected by the California Angels just two picks earlier. Robinson spent four years in the minor leagues before making his MLB debut in 1987, at 25 years old.

Robinson went 9-6 with a 5.37 ERA and 4.40 FIP for the Tigers in 1987, their third and final AL East championship. He logged 127 1/3 innings that season, but only made three appearances in September and did not pitch in the season-ending sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Robinson’s best season came in 1988, when he led the Tigers’ rotation with a 2.98 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He made 23 starts and threw six complete games and two shutouts that year as the Tigers finished with an 88-74 record.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Robinson allowed a ridiculous 6.0 hits per nine innings in 1998, despite just an okay strikeout rate. Robinson did not pitch in September of 1988 due to a hand sprain. When he returned in 1989, two more injuries seemed to destroy his career as his strikeout rate fell and his walk rate increased. For a brief moment, however, he was a star.