Ryan Alan Roberts (born September 19, 1980) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

and

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

. A right-handed batter, Roberts is tall and weighs . He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

, Texas Rangers,

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. During his tenure in Arizona, he was known by fans as "Tatman" because he has over 30

tattoos A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the Human skin, skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of ...

College career

After graduating from L. D. Bell High School, Roberts' team won an NJCAA Division III World Series his sophomore year at Eastfield Junior College in

Mesquite, Texas Mesquite is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Dallas County, Texas, Dallas County with portions extending into Kaufman County, Texas, Kaufman County. The population was 150,108 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and maki ...

. Roberts was an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n with a .475

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, 17

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s, and 73

RBIs A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

, and was named a MAC All-Conference and All-American Selection at

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

. Roberts transferred to the

University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is the second oldest university in the University of Texas System and was founded in 1895. It was in the Texas A& ...

. After his senior year in , he was named

Southland Conference The Southland Conference (SLC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in ...

Player of the Year and Hitter of the Year. He was among the conference leaders in eight different offensive categories, was first-team all-SLC as a third baseman, and was also named to several All-America teams. In 2003, ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' analyst John Manuel described Roberts as the best player on UTA's squad which also included

Hunter Pence Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San Fra ...

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

The

selected Roberts with the 530th overall pick of the 2003 draft, in the 18th round. Roberts signed with the Blue Jays and made his professional debut in the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

. He was named to the Eastern League

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

team. The Blue Jays allocated Roberts to the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season baseball league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled ...

that off-season, and on November 18 of that year, they purchased his contract from the

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League, is the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Ja ...

and added him to their 40-man roster. Roberts began the season in Triple-A

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

before being called up to the 25-man Toronto Blue Jays roster. On August 3, 2006, Roberts hit a solo home run in

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

, his first hit in a

game. In 2007 Roberts batted .249 in AAA, and then went 1–13 in the major leagues. After the season, Roberts' was released by the Blue Jays.

Texas Rangers

Roberts signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers on November 21, 2007, with an invitation to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. Roberts was called up to the Rangers for a few days and got one pinch-hit at bat.

Arizona Diamondbacks

In November 2008, Roberts signed a minor league deal with the

. He made the opening day roster for the first time in his career. He played mostly as a utility player during the 2009 season with the Diamondbacks. Through June 13, 2009, Roberts had a .274 batting average in the minor leagues, and a .243 batting average in the major leagues in 111 at bats. When the Diamondbacks traded second baseman Felipe López on July 20, 2009, Ryan Roberts was named the Diamondbacks everyday second baseman. In the 2009 season, Roberts hit .279 with 8 home runs and 25 RBI, while playing at second base for 57 games, third base for 19 games, and left field for 16 games. In game 4 of the

2011 NLDS The 2011 National League Division Series (abbreviated NLDS) were two best-of-five playoffs comprising the opening round of the Major League Baseball postseason, played to determine the participating teams in the 2011 National League Championship ...

against the Brewers, Roberts hit a two-out grand slam in the first inning to help keep the Diamondbacks alive in the postseason. This home run came only a week after Roberts' first career grand slam, a game-winning walk-off grand slam capping a dramatic 10th inning rally to defeat the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

7–6, as well as a day after teammate

Paul Goldschmidt Paul Edward Goldschmidt (born September 10, 1987), nicknamed Goldy, is an American professional baseball first baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. ...

hit a grand slam in game 3 of the NLDS. During this walk-off grand slam, Roberts began pumping his left arm in a salute to the teams' manager

Kirk Gibson Kirk Harold Gibson (born May 28, 1957) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and manager. Gibson spent most of his career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Detroit Tigers, but also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansa ...

's 1988 World Series game one home run. After 83 games with Arizona in 2012, he amassed a .250 batting average with six home runs, six stolen bases, nine doubles, and 34 runs batted in. On July 24, Roberts was designated for assignment.

Tampa Bay Rays

Hours after being designated for assignment on July 24, Roberts was traded to the

for minor league infielder Tyler Bortnick. On July 25 Ryan hit a two-run homer against Baltimore in the top of the third. On August 15, 2013, Roberts was designated for assignment by the Rays to make room for pitcher Alex Cobb who was coming off the DL.

Chicago Cubs

On December 13, 2013, Roberts agreed to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

. He was released on March 27, 2014.

Boston Red Sox

On April 7, 2014, Roberts agreed to a Major League deal with the Boston Red Sox. The Sox were looking for some infield depth after

Will Middlebrooks William Scott Middlebrooks (born September 9, 1988) is an American retired professional baseball third baseman and is currently the main color analyst for the Boston Red Sox Radio Network on WEEI-FM. He also does color analysis for the Red Sox ...

was placed on the 15-day disabled list. He was designated for assignment on April 18, 2014, and outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket three days later. Roberts elected free agency in October 2014.

Oakland Athletics

Roberts signed a minor league deal with the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

on November 12, 2014. He was released on March 28, 2015. He signed a minor league deal with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

on April 26, 2015. He played the entire 2015 season with the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

and elected to become a free agent after the season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Ryan 1980 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Arizona Diamondbacks players Auburn Doubledays players Boston Red Sox players Charleston AlleyCats players Dunedin Blue Jays players Durham Bulls players Eastfield Harvesters baseball players Major League Baseball infielders Nashville Sounds players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Oklahoma RedHawks players Pawtucket Red Sox players Baseball players from Fort Worth, Texas Peoria Saguaros players Reno Aces players Syracuse Chiefs players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Tampa Bay Rays players Texas Rangers players Toronto Blue Jays players UT Arlington Mavericks baseball players