Dave Roberts (outfielder)

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Dave Roberts (outfielder) bigraphy, stories - Japanese-American baseball outfielder

Dave Roberts (outfielder) : biography

1972-5-31 –

David Ray Roberts (born May 31, 1972 in Okinawa, Japan) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Previously, he played with the Cleveland Indians (-), Los Angeles Dodgers (-), Boston Red Sox (2004), San Diego Padres (-), and San Francisco Giants (-). Roberts bats and throws left-handed. He is the son of a retired Marine in Japan (Waymon Roberts) and a Japanese mother (Eiko) and was raised in San Diego, California. He is best known for his stolen base in the 9th inning of Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, which was such a notable play that it is often simply referred to as "The Steal." He is currently the first base coach for the San Diego Padres.

High school, college

Roberts attended Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, California, where he was a standout in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was a three-year starter at quarterback; as a senior, he helped lead his team to the San Diego Section Class 3A championship.

He was a member of the UCLA Bruins baseball team.

Major league career

Roberts had above-average knowledge of the strike zone. He had little power, but was a spray hitter who used raw speed to get on base and stretch singles to doubles. Once on base, he commonly "manufactured" runs by employing such tactics as stealing second base, moving to third on a grounder, and coming home on a sacrifice fly. When he was healthy, Roberts was widely known as one of the best base stealers in baseball. From 2002 to 2006, Roberts had 195 steals, as well as an 81 percent success rate, both of which were the second-best in the majors among base stealers with 175 steals just behind stolen base king Rickey Henderson in the career stolen base rate rankings.Fortner, Mitch. "Dave Roberts, OF, San Francisco Giants." December 17, 2006. http://www.kffl.com/article.php/62832/88. Roberts had exceptional range in the outfield, but his below-average arm occasionally allowed his opponents to take extra bases on him.

Early Years

Roberts was originally drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1993 but did not sign with the team. In 1994, he was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 28th round of the amateur draft. In June 1998, Roberts was traded by the Tigers with Tim Worrell to the Indians for Geronimo Berroa. Roberts made his major league debut in 1999 for Cleveland and bounced back and forth between the Indians and their Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, for the next three seasons. On December 22, 2001, Roberts was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two minor leaguers. Roberts appeared as the Dodgers primary center fielder until his trade to the Boston Red Sox at the 2004 trade deadline.

"The Steal"

Roberts made a large contribution to the 2004 Red Sox’ championship post-season, even though he did not play in the 2004 World Series. Most notable was his stolen base against the Yankees in the ALCS Game 4. The Red Sox were facing elimination in the bottom of the ninth inning, down 4 runs to 3. Kevin Millar drew a walk from Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. Roberts, who had not played in ten days, came in to pinch run. Rivera threw to first base three times (the last almost picked off Roberts); on the next pitch, Roberts stole second base, just beating the throw. Bill Mueller followed with a single, Roberts scored, and the Sox went on to win in twelve innings and begin their run of eight straight wins, culminating in Boston’s first World Series title since 1918.http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=4474049 In 2006, the event was recognized as a Memorable Moment in Red Sox history by the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. He retained lasting status as a hero in Boston, later receiving standing ovations in Fenway every time he came up to bat for the Giants.

San Diego Padres

The Red Sox organization was pleased with Roberts’s performance but couldn’t make use of him in 2005. They arranged for a trade with the San Diego Padres; Roberts was exchanged for Jay Payton. The speedy Roberts seemed a good choice to roam the spacious outfield at Petco Park. He played center field for the Padres until they acquired Gold Glove winner Mike Cameron from the New York Mets before the 2006 season. Roberts then moved to left field. That 2006 season, Roberts established career highs with a .293 batting average, 49 steals, and 13 triples, the latter mark tying Tony Gwynn’s 19-year single-season franchise record.