Background
Born in Owenton, Kentucky, Roberts was the son of Clarence A. and Julie E. Roberts (née Etherington).
Born in Owenton, Kentucky, Roberts was the son of Clarence A. and Julie E. Roberts (née Etherington).
Listed at 6-foot-4-inch (193 m), 180-pound (82 kg), Roberts batted right-handed and threw left-handed. He was nicknamed "Mountain Manitoba". After graduating from Versailles High School, he served in the United States Naval Air Forces to a term of four and a half years.
Roberts was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1963, and initially assigned to the Harlan Yankees of the Appalachian League, a Rookie-class league.
After pitching in 21 games, all but one as a relief pitcher, and a 4–3 record, he was promoted to the Shelby Colonels/Yankees of the class-A Western Carolinas League, and pitched in an additional two games, both of which he was credited with the loss. In 1964, he remained with the Shelby team, and pitched in 47 games while having a 3.53 European Research Area. Foreign the 1965 season, he was assigned to the Binghamton Triplets of the class-A New York – Penn League.
In 112 innings pitched in 45 appearances, he had a 6–4 record and a 3.21 European Research Area. In 1966, Roberts was transferred to another class-A team, the Greensboro Yankees of the Carolina League. After appearing in 35 games for Greensboro, and having a 6–4 record and a 2.21 European Research Area, he was promoted the class-American Automobile Association Toledo Mud Hens of the International League.
The Yankees switched affiliations for the 1967 season from the Mud Hens to the Syracuse Chiefs, also of the International League, and Roberts moved as well.
Foreign Syracuse, he had a 9–4 record and 2.97 European Research Area in 50 games pitched, when he was a late-season call-up by the Yankees to their Major League club He appeared in two games for the Yankees. The first one occurred on September 9, when he pitched the final inning in a 7–1 loss to the Boston Red Sox, allowing one run on two hits and one base on balls.
His second and last Major League appearance occurred on September 16, when he pitched the eighth inning in a 6–1 loss against the Cleveland Indians, and gave up one run on one hit, one intentional base on balls, and two hit batters.
Roberts did not appear in another game for the Yankees, who traded him on December 7, 1967, along with Bob Tillman, to the Atlanta Braves for Bobby Cox. His first assignment in the Braves organization began with the Shreveport Braves, a class-Associate of Arts team in the Texas League.
Toward the end of the season, Roberts was promoted to the Braves" class-American Automobile Association team, the Richmond Braves of the International League, and had a 1.93 European Research Area in eight appearances. He returned to Shreveport in 1969, and played the entire season with the club, appeared in 61 games, had a 2.29 European Research Area, and collected 14 saves.
In 1970, his last season in professional baseball, Roberts began the season in Shreveport, made 33 appearances, and while his European Research Area was a low 2.80, he was moved to the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), the class-American Automobile Association affiliate of the California Angels.
He played in four games with the Islanders before being moved again, landing with the Eugene Emeralds, also of the PCL. He retired after when the season was completed.
