WHEN the Yankees selected David Robertson in the 17th round in the 2006 draft out of the University of Alabama, Robertson was expecting to be playing for the Crimson Tide in 2007.
But those plans changed quickly for the 5-foot-11 right-hander when he was named the playoff MVP of the Cape Cod League. After retiring all 22 batters he faced (striking out 15) in five appearances to help the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox to the league title, the Yankees offered Robertson a contract days before he was scheduled to return to school.
“I really thought I was going to be going back to school,” Robertson said. “The last couple weeks of the Cape, the Yankees starting talking to me, and that’s when things started to change.
“It was a pretty hard decision, but I feel like I made the right decision. I couldn’t have had a better summer at the Cape, and it’s been good so far.”
Robertson, whose brother, Connor, is with the A’s Triple-A affiliate, hasn’t looked back, sailing through his first pro season in dominant fashion. He advanced from Low Single-A Charleston to Double-A Trenton in 2007, going 8-3 with four saves and a 0.96 ERA in 84 innings over 44 appearances. After pitching to a 0.96 again this year through 182/3 innings in nine appearances with Trenton, Robertson was called up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 2.
“He doesn’t throw anything straight,” Trenton pitching coach Scott Aldred said of Robertson’s arsenal, which includes a cut fastball, curve and circle change. “And when you have movement, and when you have an above-average out pitch, it goes a long way.
“[The fastball] is 90-92 with a four-six inch cut,” he said. “That separates him from a lot of guys, and he’s got an above-average major league curve. The change is in a development phase, but its still solid.”
Despite his dominance so far in the minor leagues, Aldred said he doesn’t think Robertson quite has the repertoire necessary to succeed as a closer in the majors.
“When you look at the closers, with a few exceptions, they have the ability to throw the ball in the mid-90s,” Aldred said. “But that’s not to say that it couldn’t happen. . . . [Detroit’s] Todd Jones throws four pitches, and he’s a closer.”
The Yankees haven’t told Robertson what their plans are for him over the next few months. But after his meteoric rise through the system, he can’t help but think about the call that seems in the near future to join the major league roster.
“To tell you the truth I can’t imagine the feeling,” he said. “Hopefully it will happen . . . it would be a great opportunity for me.”
tbontemps@nypost.com