Robbie Glendinning
Robert Glendinning is an Australian professional baseball third baseman for the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association of Professional Baseball. He played for the Australian national [baseball team] in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Amateur career
Glendinning is from Scarborough, Western Australia. He enrolled at North Iowa Area Community College and played college baseball there for two seasons. He transferred to the University of Missouri and continued his college baseball career with the Missouri Tigers. In 2016, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League.Professional career
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Glendinning in the 21st round, with the 628th overall selection, of the 2017 [Major League Baseball draft]. He made his professional debut with the Low-A West Virginia Black Bears, hitting.198 in 29 games. He spent the 2018 season split between the Black Bears and the Single-A West Virginia Power, slashing.268/.360/.381 with 2 home runs and 29 RBI across 59 cumulative games. In 2019, Glendinning split time between the High-A Bradenton Marauders and Double-A Altoona Curve. In 101 total contests, he batted.298/.368/.488 with career-highs in home runs, RBI, and stolen bases.He did not play in the United States in 2020 after the season was cancelled due to the Impact of [the COVID-19 pandemic on sports|COVID-19 pandemic], but played for the Perth Heat in the 2020–21 Australian Baseball League season. On 11 February 2021, it was announced that Glendinning would require Tommy John surgery after suffering a complete tear of his ulnar [collateral ligament of elbow joint|ulnar collateral ligament] while playing catch during a practice. The procedure caused him to miss the entire 2021 season. On 21 February 2022, Glendinning was released by the Pirates organization.
Kansas City Royals
On 22 February 2022, Glendinning signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals organization. He spent the season with the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals, playing in 118 games and hitting.252/.373/.439 while setting new career-highs in home runs, RBI, and stolen bases.He began the 2023 season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. In 26 games for the Naturals, Glendinning batted.242/.373/.363 with 2 home runs and 16 RBI.