Duce Robinson Talks Love of Baseball, Playing Receiver at USC During MLB Draft Combine
USC freshman Duce Robinson is one of around 300 of the top high school and college baseball players taking part in the MLB Combine at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona this week.
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound incoming receiver said previously he is going to take his baseball career as far as it can go. So Robinson was looking to prove what he can do on the baseball diamond in front of scouts from all 30 Major League Baseball teams.
Robinson was likely the only player there, or maybe one of a very select few, who will play multiple sports in college. In fact, he’s just the fifth player ever to be selected to both the Under Armour All-America Football and Baseball Game as a high school senior. The previous four were Kyler Murray, A.J. Brown, Jordyn Adams and Robbie Ashford.
Robinson said he feels there’s some intrigue around his name right now because of that two-sport stardom. He spoke with Harold Reynolds of MLB Network about what he hopes to accomplish during his time at the Combine this week.
“I think I’m here because I’m unique,” Robinson said. “I feel like you don’t see a lot of guys that look like me on the baseball field. And I think I bring a lot to the table that interests people.”
Robinson said baseball is his first love when it comes to sports. He’s been playing the game since he could walk.
“I’m just here to try to clear some things up, make sure teams get some eyes on me and hopefully show them that I’m worth using a pick on,” he said.
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The 2023 MLB Draft is set to take place July 9-11 in Seattle.
Robinson at USC
Robinson flew to Phoenix from USC, where he’s been participating and showing of his speed in summer conditioning workouts.
“It’s been really nice to get integrated into the team,” Robinson said of his early time with the Trojans.
Robinson finished the 2023 recruiting cycle as the nation’s No. 1 tight end, but that’s not where he’s playing with the Trojans.
He understood why he was labeled as a tight end during the recruiting process, even though he played wide receiver in high school.
“You just don’t see many 6-foot-6, 225-pound dudes that are receivers, so they labeled me as a tight end,” Robinson said.
But he’s working with the outside receivers right now at USC. He added that he’ll probably learn some inside receiver down the line and then start picking up the tight end position.
