Dave Roberts, baseball player, 1969-1981

Dave Roberts

Born: 9/11/1944 in Gallipolis, OH, USA

Died: 1/9/2009 in Short Gap, WV, USA

MLB Debut: 1969-07-06 | Final Game: 1981-05-16

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: David Arthur Roberts

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Biography

Dave Roberts was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 until 1981. Born in 1944, he made his debut during a transitional period in baseball marked by the end of the deadball era and the beginning of a more offense-oriented game. Over the course of his career, Roberts compiled a record of 103-125, showcasing his durability and ability to compete on the mound despite the challenges presented by evolving hitting techniques. Roberts finished his career with a 3.78 earned run average (ERA) and recorded 957 strikeouts, demonstrating his capability as a strikeout pitcher. His contributions to the game were further highlighted by his accumulation of 15 saves, indicating his versatility and effectiveness in high-pressure situations. Throughout his time in the league, Roberts established himself as a reliable presence on the pitching staff, navigating the competitive landscape of baseball during the late 1960s through the early 1980s. His legacy is remembered by fans and historians alike as part of a generation of players who helped shape the game during a pivotal era.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
103 125 445 277 77 20 15 2099.0 2188 882 155 615 957 3.78 0

Career ERA 3.78 vs. league average 3.70 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1969 SDP NL 0 3 22 5 0 0 1 48.7 65 26 19 19 4.81 3.61 (-33%) -
1970 SDP NL 8 14 43 21 3 2 1 181.7 182 77 43 102 3.81 3.89 (+2%) -
1971 SDP NL 14 17 37 34 14 2 0 269.7 238 63 61 135 2.10 3.47 (+39%) -
1972 HOU NL 12 7 35 28 7 3 2 192.0 227 96 57 111 4.50 3.26 (-38%) -595.7
1973 HOU NL 17 11 39 36 12 6 0 249.3 264 79 62 119 2.85 3.75 (+24%) 3818.9
1974 HOU NL 10 12 34 30 8 2 1 204.0 216 77 65 72 3.40 3.63 (+6%) 1980.2
1975 HOU NL 8 14 32 27 7 0 1 198.3 182 94 73 101 4.27 3.71 (-15%) -212.1
1976 DET AL 16 17 36 36 18 4 0 252.0 254 112 63 79 4.00 3.51 (-14%) -758.4
1977 DET AL 4 10 22 22 5 0 0 129.3 143 74 41 46 5.15 4.00 (-29%) -3438.6
1977 CHC NL 1 1 17 6 1 0 1 53.0 55 19 12 23 3.23 4.00 (+19%) -
1978 CHC NL 6 8 35 20 2 1 1 142.3 159 83 56 54 5.25 3.69 (-42%) -
1979 SFG NL 0 2 26 1 0 0 3 42.0 42 12 18 23 2.57 4.00 (+36%) -
1979 PIT NL 5 2 21 3 0 0 1 38.7 47 14 12 15 3.26 4.00 (+19%) 682.9
1980 PIT NL 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 2.3 2 1 1 1 3.86 — 0.0
1980 SEA AL 2 3 37 4 0 0 3 80.3 86 39 27 47 4.37 3.84 (-14%) 165.7
1981 NYN NL 0 3 7 4 0 0 0 15.3 26 16 5 10 9.39 3.58 (-162%) -1126.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
452 531 28 103 15 4 7 46 0 8 133 0.194 0.204 0.277 0.481 -2384.3

Career AVG .194 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 24.3% below league average.

Career OBP .204 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 37.0% below league average.

Career SLG .277 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 26.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.481 vs. league average 0.700 across their career seasons — 31.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1969 SDP NL 23 15 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.267 — — — — 0.0
1970 SDP NL 43 59 6 9 1 0 2 6 0 1 16 0.153 .253 (-40%) .325 (-49%) .385 (-30%) .711 (-38%) -400.0
1971 SDP NL 38 86 2 19 2 0 0 2 0 0 24 0.221 .249 (-11%) .316 (-30%) .365 (-33%) .682 (-32%) -453.0
1972 HOU NL 35 67 7 16 1 0 2 9 0 4 16 0.239 .243 (-2%) .310 (-12%) .353 (-3%) .664 (-7%) -99.4
1973 HOU NL 41 85 3 11 2 0 0 5 0 0 25 0.129 .256 (-50%) .325 (-60%) .378 (-60%) .703 (-60%) -858.4
1974 HOU NL 35 73 3 16 4 3 1 9 0 0 19 0.219 .256 (-15%) .324 (-34%) .369 (+8%) .693 (-12%) -223.4
1975 HOU NL 32 63 2 9 2 1 0 5 0 1 12 0.143 .257 (-45%) .327 (-52%) .374 (-45%) .701 (-48%) -518.6
1976 DET AL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 DET AL 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 CHC NL 17 17 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0.059 — — — — 0.0
1978 CHC NL 37 52 4 17 3 0 2 7 0 2 7 0.327 .257 (+27%) .323 (+9%) .378 (+32%) .702 (+21%) 168.5
1979 SFG NL 26 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1979 PIT NL 21 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1980 PIT NL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 SEA AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 NYN NL 7 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.250 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1979 NLCS PIT 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1979 NLCS PIT 0 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 445 277 83 383 16 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1969 SDN P 22 5 5 9 0 1
1970 SDN P 43 21 5 29 1 3
1971 SDN P 37 34 10 47 1 2
1972 HOU P 35 28 0 31 1 0
1973 HOU P 39 36 9 39 1 1
1974 HOU P 34 30 15 43 3 5
1975 HOU P 32 27 13 36 0 0
1976 DET P 36 36 6 53 4 6
1977 DET P 22 22 4 23 1 0
1977 CHN P 17 6 3 16 0 1
1978 CHN P 35 20 8 29 0 2
1979 SFN P 26 1 1 9 1 1
1979 PIT P 21 3 1 9 1 1
1980 PIT P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1980 SEA P 37 4 3 6 1 0
1981 NYN P 7 4 0 4 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 445

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-08-23

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1971 Cy Young Award NL 6th 2.0 120 0
1971 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 1.0 336 0