| Bip Roberts | |
|---|---|
| Second baseman / Left fielder | |
| Born:October 27, 1963 Berkeley, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 7, 1986, for the San Diego Padres | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 1998, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .294 |
| Home runs | 30 |
| Runs batted in | 352 |
| Stolen bases | 264 |
| Teams | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Leon Joseph "Bip" Roberts (born October 27,1963) is an American former Major League Baseball second baseman and outfielder who played from 1986 to 1998 for the San Diego Padres,Cincinnati Reds,Kansas City Royals,Cleveland Indians,Detroit Tigers,and Oakland Athletics.
He was a speedy second baseman,largely associated with the San Diego Padres. Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round of the Draft as a supplemental pick in 1982,after stealing a combined 90 bases in his two previous minor league seasons,Roberts was taken by the San Diego Padres in the Rule 5 draft in December 1985,thus being required to stay on Padres' major league roster for the entirety of the 1986 season.
As a rookie,Roberts was successful in 14 out of 26 steal attempts, [1] and served as a pinch hitter. He spent the next two seasons in Triple-A,where he would hit .306 in 1987 and .353 in 1988 with 10 triples in 98 games in 1987. His stolen base totals were also once again stellar,being 39 and 45 respectively,which caused San Diego to call him up at the end of 1988,where he played in 5 games,seeing time at third and second base,as well as pinch hitting.
Roberts hit .301 in 1989 with 21 steals and 81 runs in 329 at bats. He played all outfield positions,shortstop,second,and third. In 1990,Roberts ranked in the top 10 in the National League in Doubles (36),Steals (46),and Runs (104).
In 1991,Roberts again was injured limited to 117 games,but still managed to hit .281 with 26 stolen bases. In December 1991,the Cincinnati Reds sent pitcher Randy Myers in exchange for Roberts.
In 1992,Roberts was selected as a National League All-Star,going 2-for-2 with two RBI. Roberts was also named the Cincinnati Reds team MVP,and was 8th in voting for the NL MVP,stealing 44 bases,and hitting .323. He also tied an NL record in 1992 with ten consecutive base hits.
Roberts faced several injuries and was limited to only 83 games. The Reds also suffered injuries to Kevin Mitchell,Roberto Kelly,Barry Larkin,and Hal Morris. Their season suffered as a result,but Roberts managed 26 stolen bases in the shortened stint.
After the 1993 season,he re-signed with the Padres. In 1994,Roberts recorded an MLB best 24-game hitting streak for the Padres. The strike-shortened season compromised his season as he was hitting .320 with over 20 steals yet again. He was also second in the NL in singles,and broke up Pedro Martínez's extra inning perfect game in the 10th inning with a double.
While Roberts played half of the 1995 season,he stole 20 bases,only being caught twice,while batting .304. In December,Roberts was dealt to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for first baseman Wally Joyner. [1]
Roberts had trouble adapting to the American League,not hitting as well as he did in the NL,and losing a little speed. He was sent to the Cleveland Indians in mid-1997. He would go on to play heavily for the Indians in the postseason,although he missed a game in the World Series due to flu-like symptoms.
The Detroit Tigers signed Roberts for the 1998 season,before trading him to the Oakland Athletics. While Roberts' batting average dropped in his final season,he remained a reliable offensive player,maintaining a .340 OBP.
In 1202 games over 12 seasons,Roberts posted a .294 batting average (1220-for-4147) with 663 runs,203 doubles,31 triples,30 home runs,352 RBI,264 stolen bases,396 bases on balls,.358 on-base percentage and .380 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .976 fielding percentage. In 16 postseason games,he hit .246 (15-for-61) with 4 runs,5 doubles,5 RBI,3 stolen bases and 5 walks. [1]
Roberts has worked for NBC Sports Bay Area as co-host for the Oakland Athletics pre-game telecasts.
In 2008,Roberts took over as the head coach for the Skyline High School baseball team in Oakland,California.
He was an assistant coach to the Academy of Art Urban Knights NCAA Division II PacWest baseball program from 2010–2012.
Aside from his work in the broadcast booth,Roberts has donated his time to the Students Rising Above Foundation,which helps low-income,at-risk Bay Area kids overcome obstacles.
In July 2024,Roberts expressed interest in possibly running for office to become Mayor of Oakland,California,should the recall of current Mayor Sheng Thao proceed. [2]
Roberts is the nephew of former NFL player Roy Shivers. [3]
Kazuo Matsui is a Japanese former professional baseball player who played as a shortstop and is a former manager of the Saitama Seibu Lions. He is a switch-hitter.
Luis Ernesto Salazar Garcia is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1992 as a third baseman and outfielder for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox (1985–86), Detroit Tigers (1988), and the Chicago Cubs (1989–92).
William Donald Doran is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1982 to 1993 with the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers. He was the bench coach for the Kansas City Royals from 2005 to 2007 and posted a 4-6 record as the Royals' interim manager to close the 2006 season. Doran rejoined the Reds on November 2, 2007, as the minor league infielding/baserunning coordinator. After previously serving as the minor league field coordinator, Doran moved into the role of special assistant to the general manager, player performance role for the Reds for the 2019 season.
Steven Allen Finley is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for eight teams between 1989 and 2007, most notably the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks; he is one of only two players, along with Matt Herges, to play for all five National League West teams. An outstanding all-around player with power, speed, and defensive skill, he is one of only four players since 1945 with 300 home runs and 100 triples, along with Stan Musial, Willie Mays, and George Brett. He is also one of three players, along with Mays and Ken Griffey Jr., to have 2,500 hits and win five Gold Glove Awards in center field.
Brian Stephen Giles is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. During his career he played for the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres. The left-handed Giles was a two-time All-Star and had a career line of .291/.400/.502 with 287 home runs, 411 doubles, 1,078 runs batted in (RBI), and 1,183 walks in 1,847 games.
Jason Lee "Jay" Payton is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played for the New York Mets (1998-2002), Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres (2004), Boston Red Sox (2005), Oakland Athletics (2005-2006) and Baltimore Orioles (2007-2008). He batted and threw right-handed. Payton was an opposite-field hitter with some power. He had great speed as a runner, but did not steal many bases. Defensively, he was a solid outfielder with an above-average arm, and his quickness getting rid of the ball helped him hold baserunners on the base paths. He is currently serving as an in game analyst with ESPNU for college baseball.
Tommy Harper is an American former professional baseball outfielder and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven different franchises from 1962 to 1976, including six seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and three seasons each with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Boston Red Sox.
David Earl Lopes is an American former second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted and threw right-handed. He played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Houston Astros; he managed the Milwaukee Brewers.
Todd Arthur Walker is an American former professional baseball infielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1996 to 2007. Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg), he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Walker played college baseball at Louisiana State University (LSU) and is an inductee of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Mariano Duncan Nalasco is a Dominican former second baseman and shortstop who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball during his 12-year career. He was the infield coach and first base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers under managers Grady Little and Joe Torre. Duncan was an MLB All-Star in 1994 and won two World Series championships as a player.
Max Edward West, was an American outfielder and first baseman for the Boston Bees/Braves, Cincinnati Reds (1946) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1948).
Chase Jordan Headley is an American former professional baseball third baseman. A switch-hitter, Headley made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the San Diego Padres in 2007, and also played for the New York Yankees.
James Raleigh Mouton is an American former professional baseball player. An outfielder, he played all or parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1994 until 2001, for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos and Milwaukee Brewers.
Norman Robert Young was a professional baseball player. He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds (1947–48) and St. Louis Cardinals (1948), primarily as a first baseman. He was a member of the Giants' 1936 National League pennant-winning team.
Edgar Gonzalez is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants.
Yonder Alonso is a Cuban former professional baseball first baseman and current MLB Network analyst. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies. Prior to entering the major leagues, he played college baseball at the University of Miami.
John Cotton is an American former professional baseball player and an Olympic gold medalist in baseball. Cotton has played 15 seasons in minor league baseball, his last coming in 2003. Over his career, he has played in the Cleveland Indians organization (1989–1993), the San Diego Padres organization (1994–1995), the Detroit Tigers organization (1996), the Chicago White Sox organization (1997), the Chicago Cubs organization (1998), the Colorado Rockies organization (1999–2000), the Montreal Expos organization (2001), the Los Angeles Dodgers organization (2001), the Pittsburgh Pirates organization (2001), and independent league baseball (2002–2003). During the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Cotton won a gold medal as a member of the United States national baseball team. Cotton has batted .256 with 1361 hits, 237 doubles, 59 triples and 190 home runs in 1530 minor league games. On the defensive side, Cotton has played 457 career games at second base, 570 in the outfield, 162 games at third base, 191 at first base, 35 games at shortstop and one game at catcher.
Jemile Nykiwa Weeks is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and San Diego Padres.
The San Diego Padres' 2012 season was their 44th season in MLB, and their eighth at Petco Park. The Padres finished with a record of 76–86, fourth place in the National League West.
The 2013 San Diego Padres season was their 45th season in MLB, and their ninth at Petco Park.
