Redlands Connection is a concoction of sports memories emanating from a city that once numbered less than 20,000 people. From the Super Bowl to the World Series, from the World Cup to golf’s U.S. Open and the Olympics, plus NCAA Final Four connections, NASCAR, the Kentucky Derby and Indianapolis 500, Tour de France cycling, major tennis, NBA and a little NHL, aquatics and quite a bit more, that sparkling little city between Los Angeles and Palm Springs on Interstate 10. This guy took off for Riverside before landing in Austin, Texas en route to a hopeful baseball career, counting college and minor league baseball spots — Birmingham, Everett, Appleton, Kannapolis, Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Allentown and Tucson. – Obrey Brown
It was a key-charging, hard-working, unrelatable chase toward a major league team.
Redlands High School’s Robbie Hudson, playing in collegiate star-studded Riverside, Calif. and a bigger shot at Austin, Texas, seemed surrounded by a stack of top-ranked baseball players at both that level, plus his eventual pro baseball players.
Maybe he played a middle infield spot for the 2010 Charlotte Knights’ lineup when incoming southpaw teammate Chris Sale took the mound. Or that he was at shortstop when slugging team member Chris Carter was in that same lineup for the Kannapolis Intimidators.
Before getting surrounded by seven seasons alongside future top baseball players was just a start for Hudson’s pro-steeping career. That ex-Redlands High School star shortstop was hoping for an MLB spot.
- Still. Ask. Myself. How?
It was part of a guy named Hudson — Chattanooga, Tennessee-born — who was from a nice collection of Terrier ballplayers from his own prep era. There was outfielder Curt Mendoza drafted by Cleveland. Or infielder Chris Wilson selected by Texas. Neither signed. There was pitcher Chris Hernandez, plucked by the Pirates. Don’t forget catcher Bret Martinez taken by the Angels.
Hudson, after four collegiate seasons, eventually got signed by Seattle. There were finesse players around him all along.
To grab a major league spot, minor league shortstop Hudson might’ve been battling for, say, Seattle’s big league shortstop Yaniesky Betancourt. A few years later, Juan Uribe shortstop for White Sox’s MLB team just a couple seasons after Chicago won the World Series. There could be others playing strong shortstops in MLB. Hudson was trying hard to hit that point.
Hudson, playing over four sensational collegiate seasons, eventually survived seven minor league seasons. It came after he served college ball at Riverside and Austin which forged a testament on how tough this quick, non-power, six-foot, 170-pound infielder was seeking a career.
I remember spotting Hudson’s Associated Press photo — leaping in the air to snag a throw from his Longhorns’ catcher, eventual MLB Texas Rangers’ third round pick Taylor Teagarden — that was highly publicized during the College World Series.
That’s big!
HUDSON IN COLLEGE
By his pro conclusion, Hudson batted over 2,000 times in minor league games — a .249 average, 16 total HRs, playing mostly shortstop or second base with .963 glove contributions. Signed, though not drafted, by the Seattle Mariners, this defender was an all-out regular, appearing in a career-high 112 games for the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in 2006.
It was that same season after helping the Texas Longhorns win the College World Series.
Prep strength Redlands, then off to RCC? RCC to Texas? Texas, it seemed, wasn’t in the habit of picking up junior college recruits, especially from California. Hudson, it turns out, was lined up in a pair of championship-achieving teams.
In RCC’s 45-8 overall, state-championship record in 2002, Hudson’s .246 average over 42 games, never came close to pitching teammate Jesse Chavez – 13-2, plus a 1.96 ERA. Curiously, at high school, they were rivals in their Citrus Belt League. Hudson had played shortstop for Redlands while Chavez pitched at Fontana A.B. Miller.
A season later, in 2003, Hudson racked up a team-high .350, that catcher who left Redlands High for Redlands East Valley — catcher Bret Martinez (2 HRs, .275) — plus Chavez (11-5, 1.93) was just part of that 36-12 record for Tigers’ coach Dennis Rogers.
For Hudson, teammates at that Orange Coast Conference powerhouse was his state’s top program. He was making a signal for another step up. It was onto Austin, that Longhorn squad had a player from Colorado. Another from Oklahoma. Virginia and Louisiana each landed players.
Hitting .287 and .292 in back-to-back seasons on that Longhorns’ team, 52-16 in 2005 and a 41-21 NCAA championship season in 2006, Hudson played a considerable role in that Texas’ title-seeking chase.
At Texas, Hudson was teammates with future No. 1 picks like Drew Stubbs, Huston Street, J.P. Howell, Kyle McCulloch, not to mention highly-regarded catcher Taylor Teagarden, an eventual third rounder.
Hudson had gone from one great coach, RCC’s Dennis Rogers, who coached at the minor league level, to another, Texas’ Augie Garrido.
In 2004, Garrido’s Longhorns reached the College World Series championship finals, but lost to his onetime team. Cal State Fullerton wrapped up its fourth NCAA title – against Garrido’s Texas squad – in a two-game sweep, 3-2 and 6-4. Funny thing here. Garrido, a fellow California, coached Fullerton to those previous three College World Series championships (1979, 1984, 1995) before moving to that Austin-based campus. It was there that the Longhorns, under Garrido, captured two more collegiate titles (2002, 2005).
Those Texas teammates for Hudson?
Street, an eventual MLB closer? Hudson wasn’t in the Texas lineup Street saved. Street, 42 eventual lifetime MLB wins, 2.95 ERA, 324 career saves, American League’s 2005 Rookie of the Year for Oakland, pitching at Colorado, San Diego and the L.A. Angels.
There had to be some irony involved that Fullerton had once been Garrido’s team, having departed the Titans after 1996 for the legendary Longhorns.
Texas, part of those 64 College World Series chasers, wrapped it up. Hudson’s senior season, Garrido’s Longhorns won it all. Imagine having to get past Quinnipiac. Arkansas. Or Ole Miss. Or Baylor. Or Tulane. Or Florida. Texas, making it wins 51 and 52, beat Florida twice, 6-2 and 4-2, to wrap up that collegiate title.
MLB scouts must be salivating over collegiate championship-seeking teams, picking future major leaguers. Hudson, not drafted by signed after that 2005 signing by the Seattle Mariners, figured to be a prime example.
There may have been no better spot than Omaha, Neb., however — legendary site of Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the College World Series. Hudson singled in his final collegiate game.
Rosenblatt Stadium, it turns out, was home over a four-year stretch (2002-2005) to former Redlands ballplayers — Hudson and Hernandez, pitching for University of South Carolina, had been there in back-to-back years with the Gamecocks in 2002 and 2003.
Hudson showed at Texas in 2004 and 2005.
Hudson hit .287 and .272 in both of those seasons in Austin. In 2002 and 2003, he hit .246 and .350 for championship play back in California at RCC.
Garrido led his previous spot Cal State Fullerton to a trio of College World Series titles. Hudson, for his part, teamed up with future MLB players at both college spots.
At Texas, catchers Curtis Thigpen (.378, 51 RBIs in 2005) and Taylor Teagarden (22 HRs, 52 doubles, .313, 125 RBIs – 3 seasons), base stealing outfielder Drew Stubbs (.325, 86 steals – 3 seasons), plus starting pitcher transferred from USC, J.P. Howell (25-4, 2.31, 271 strikeouts – 2 seasons) and reliever Huston Street (18-3, 41 saves, 1.39 – 3 seasons).
Those were all Hudson’s Texas teammates.
HUDSON IN PROFESSIONALS
The Redlands High prospect wound up in highly-prospective major league programs. Heading to a seven-year minor league career, that ex-Terrier swiped 69 bases, knocked out 88 doubles and 10 triples, hitting only into 29 double plays.
Spending time in the Seattle, Philadelphia, Chicago White Sox and San Diego chains from 2005-2011, his minor league stops included Class AA Birmingham, Class AAA Charlotte, Tucson and Lehigh (Pa.), opening at Class A Winston-Salem in such legendary spots as the Carolina League, Southern League and the International League.
In the minors, Hudson was teammates with plenty of No. 1 MLB picks – namely John Mayberry, Jr., Jason Grilli and Gordon Beckham, plus Buster Posey’s one time Giants’ backup catcher Nick Hundley.
Hudson’s minor league years had brief teammates with the slugging Carter, All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo, ex-Yucaipa High (that city next to Redlands) slugger Mark Teahan in 2010 with Triple A Charlotte, plus dozens of eventual big-league pitchers.
In case Hudson could be placed into that MLB portion, boy, check it out. Ramirez played there one season, then took over second base when Orlando Cabrera played shortstop for the White Sox.
That first season, 2005, the MLB Mariners’ big leaguers had the likes of Ichiro Suzuki, Adrian Beltre, Richie Sexton and second baseman Bret Boone, plus Raul Ibanez – just to name a few top-level players.
By 2007, Hudson had moved on to Chicago’s chain.
White Sox MLB shortstop Alexei Ramirez (18 HRs, 70 RBIs, .282) took over second base when Orlando Cabrera (.281 hitting, .978 fielding) wound up at shortstop.
The rest of Chicago’s big names? The likes of Jermaine Dye, Carlos Quentin and future Hall of Famer Jim Thome combined for 104 home runs in 2008. Another future Hall of Famer, Ken Griffey, Jr., spent part of that season there.
Once with the White Sox’s minor league team at Class AA Birmingham, Hudson spent three seasons.
By 2009, Cabrera was still at ss, but 25-year-old Chris Getz took over at second – no MLB opening for Hudson. In 2010, Cabrera was still running shortstop, but that one time first-round pick, Beckham, took over second base.
A year, or so earlier, Hudson and Beckham were Birmingham teammates.
Hudson moved up to Triple A Charlotte, a 26-year-old blasting his highest HR season, seven, while playing both shortstop and a little second base.
Lehigh Valley was next, part of Philadelphia. That 2010 season, the MLB Phillies fired up Jimmy Rollins (2007 National League MVP) playing shortstop, hitting .268 and 16 HRs on that 2011 season’s 102-winning team. All-Star Chase Utley had second base. Neither middle position was a real opening for Hudson.
That Redlands-Riverside-Texas product never reached the big leagues.
Eventually, Hudson spent concluding weeks that season with the Padres’ Triple A team. He played his 572nd career minor league game, concluding his seventh season. By that 2011 season, he played 30 games, batted 79 times, and his career concluded.
That Tucson team released him. Hudson retired.
