Dave Roberts (first baseman)
Encyclopedia
David Leonard Roberts is a former Major League Baseball
first baseman
who played 22 seasons of professional baseball. Of all professional baseball players whose careers began in 1952 only Hank Aaron had a longer career.
in . After a strong 1955 season in Class AA ball playing first base opposite Brooks Robinson
at third for the San Antonio Missions
in the Texas League
, Roberts was demoted back to Class A ball in 1957 when another Texas league team refused to play against any team with black players. He had played ten seasons in the minors before finally getting a shot at the majors with the Houston Colt .45s
expansion team
in .
Roberts ended his American professional baseball career with the Columbus Jets
in 1966.
, he collected just 178 at bat
s with Houston, playing mostly first base, but also some outfield
. In 1966, he got one final shot at the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates
, but went just 2-for-16 and was out of the majors for good.
of the Japanese Central League
. He made the all star team in 1968 and became the first gaijin
to hit 40 home runs. He was an all-star in 1969, 1971 and 1972. In 1971, he set the record for home runs by a gaijin at 145. He played for them until , when he lost his job to the newly-signed Joe Pepitone
. (Pepitone lasted 14 games. His name came to be used to mean "goof off" in Japanese vernacular
). Roberts played one more season for the Kintetsu Buffaloes
before retiring.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
who played 22 seasons of professional baseball. Of all professional baseball players whose careers began in 1952 only Hank Aaron had a longer career.
Minor leagues
Roberts started out in class C ball with the Porterville Comets of the Southwest International LeagueSouthwest International League
The Southwest International League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1951 through 1952. The league was formed through the merger of the Sunset League and Arizona-Texas League in 1951.- Former :...
in . After a strong 1955 season in Class AA ball playing first base opposite Brooks Robinson
Brooks Robinson
Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. is a former American professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles . Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history...
at third for the San Antonio Missions
San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions are a minor league baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres major-league club. The Missions play in Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, located in San Antonio...
in the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
, Roberts was demoted back to Class A ball in 1957 when another Texas league team refused to play against any team with black players. He had played ten seasons in the minors before finally getting a shot at the majors with the Houston Colt .45s
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
expansion team
Expansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
in .
Roberts ended his American professional baseball career with the Columbus Jets
Columbus Jets
The Columbus Jets were a Minor League baseball team that played in Columbus, Ohio from 1955 to 1970. The team moved from Ottawa, Canada where they were known as the Ottawa Athletics. The Jets were a member of the International League. From 1955-56 they were the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City...
in 1966.
Major leagues
Roberts' major league career was uneventful. Between stints with the Oklahoma City 89ersOklahoma RedHawks
The Oklahoma City RedHawks are a minor league baseball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros...
, he collected just 178 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s with Houston, playing mostly first base, but also some outfield
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. In 1966, he got one final shot at the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, but went just 2-for-16 and was out of the majors for good.
Japanese leagues
In , Roberts made his way to the Sankei AtomsTokyo Yakult Swallows
is a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League.The Swallows are named after their corporate owners, the Yakult Corporation. From 1950 to 1965, the team was owned by the former Japanese National Railways and called the Kokutetsu Swallows; the team was then owned by the newspaper Sankei...
of the Japanese Central League
Central League
The or is one the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consists of six teams from around the country,The Central League...
. He made the all star team in 1968 and became the first gaijin
Gaijin
is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...
to hit 40 home runs. He was an all-star in 1969, 1971 and 1972. In 1971, he set the record for home runs by a gaijin at 145. He played for them until , when he lost his job to the newly-signed Joe Pepitone
Joe Pepitone
Joseph "Joe" Anthony Pepitone is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder who played the bulk of his career for the New York Yankees. He also played several seasons with the Chicago Cubs and had short stints with the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves...
. (Pepitone lasted 14 games. His name came to be used to mean "goof off" in Japanese vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
). Roberts played one more season for the Kintetsu Buffaloes
Kintetsu Buffaloes
The was a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka, Japan, which were in the Pacific League. The team was owned by Kinki Nippon Railway Co. and later sold to the Orix Group, the owner of the Orix BlueWave baseball team, in 2004...
before retiring.