Dave Roberts

Roberts changed organizations 11 times in his pro baseball career. “The way I look at it,” he said, “either I’m a bum or everybody wants me.” Approached by 14 teams after graduating from high school, he was a Phillies, A’s, and Pirates farmhand before being taken by San Diego in the 1968 expansion draft. He went 14-17 for the last-place 1971 Padres, finishing second to Tom Seaver with a 2.10. With Houston in 1973, he recorded a career-best 17-11 record, setting a club record with six shutouts. After a 16-17 season with the 1976 Tigers, he had surgery to correct an arthritic knee. From 1977 through 1981, he worked for six teams, never winning more than six games. A good hitter for a pitcher, Roberts had a career BA of .194 with seven home runs.