Robby Scott, one year into the big leagues: ‘Nothing's going to stop me'

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NEW YORK — None of the Red Sox September call-ups this year are arriving in the majors for the first time. On Sept. 2, 2016, lefty Robby Scott made his major league debut.

Scott, who made his way to the Red Sox from independent ball in Yuma, Ariz., was a feel-good story last year. But going into spring training, he was far from a guarantee to make the team. Nothing about his career has been anywhere close to a guarantee.

Now the Red Sox' go-to southpaw, Scott reflected on the CSNNE Baseball Show podcast on his first calendar year living the life he dreamed.

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It wasn't all roses this year. He was sent to the minors, and not because his performance warranted it, but because of roster crunches. 

Triple-A pitching coach Bob Kipper helped him keep a level head.

"When I got sent down a couple times this year, he’s like, 'This is the reason why you are where you are, is because you’ve overcome that. So what’s going to stop you from keep doing that?' And it’s nothing," Scott said. "The only answer is to that, nothing’s going to stop me. I’m going to keep going out there when I get the opportunity."

The determination in Scott's voice and attitude is hard to ignore. He still gets questions about his independent ball life, and it's not a story he minds discussing over and over.

"To sit back on it and to reflect on it, I do it all the time," Scott said. "Just when I get up and caught up in some moments throughout the season where I may seem to be struggling at little bit and just going back to having fun, and not letting the big picture get in the way of the small picture and enjoying what this opportunity is. 

"I knew it was going to be a long road. Just trying to reflect on the road as much as possible and don’t lose sight of that, because it’s helped me become the person I am, and just become you know a great story, not just for me but for kids coming up. And just realizing that, don’t ever give up on your dreams."

There's a self-assurance for Scott, though. He believed he'd be in this position.

"Because if I didn’t I wouldn’t be here," Scott said. "There’s a lot that goes on in the offseason between the workouts and the preparation, getting yourself ready for the season. And in those days of the offseason and spring training it becomes repetitive, it becomes a challenge to motivate yourself. The motivation is why we’re here, and the motivation is to be a part of this organization that is expected to win on every single night. 

"And that’s something that I strive for and that’s something I live for, and I don’t ever take for granted. So to answer your question, yeah, I absolutely imagined being here and being grateful for the opportunity. Because there’s probably many many other ways they could have went, you know coming down the stretch last year. Did I earn the opportunity? Yeah, probably but they didn’t have to — it wasn’t given, it was earned. And you know I’m forever and extremely grateful for just having the opportunity."

 

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