Curt Roberts

Curt Roberts
Second baseman
Born: August 16, 1929(1929-08-16) Pineland, Texas
Died: November 14, 1969(1969-11-14) (aged 40) Oakland, California
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 13, 1954 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
June 8, 1956 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Career statistics
Batting average	.223
Home runs	1
Runs batted in	40
Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1954-1956)

Curtis Benjamin Roberts (August 16, 1929 — November 14, 1969) was a Major League Baseball second baseman. He was signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent before the 1951 season, and played for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1954 to 1956. A native of Pineland, Texas, he stood 5'8" and weighed 165 lb (75 kg). Roberts was a skilled defensive player who could not hit with enough proficiency to remain in the major leagues.^[1]

Roberts played for the Kansas City Monarchs, the same Negro League organization which produced Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige.^[2]

Roberts was obtained by Pittsburgh from Denver of the Western League as part of a minor league working agreement before the 1952 season. When he made his major league debut (April 13, 1954 at Forbes Field), he became the first black player in Pirates history. In his first major league at bat, he tripled against starter Robin Roberts of the Philadelphia Phillies.

In a May 1954 game, Roberts was dropped to seventh in the Pirates' batting order versus the St. Louis Cardinals. Prior to this game he hit leadoff. The change came because the Cardinals started a left handed pitcher. Roberts succeeded in getting a sixth inning single which accounted for two runs batted in.^[3]

He played in 134 games during his rookie season, batting .232 with 1 home run and 36 runs batted in. After that, he got into only 37 more games over the course of the next two seasons. He was sent to the Columbus Jets of the International League in late June 1956.^[1] He later became a member of the Athletics and Yankees organizations, but never again reached the big league level.

Career totals for 171 games include a .223 batting average (128-for-575), 1 HR, 40 RBI, 54 runs scored, and an on base percentage of .299. In his 164 appearances at second base, he handled 856 out of 883 total chances successfully for a fielding percentage of .969, a little lower than the league average during his era.

Roberts died at the age of 40 in Oakland, California when he was hit by an automobile while changing a flat tire on his own car.

See also

• List of first black Major League Baseball players by team and date

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Bucs' Curt Roberts to Columbus Jets, Baltimore Afro-American, June 30, 1956, pg. 15.
2. ^ Monarchs owner, Tom Baird, dies, Baltimore Afro-American, July 14, 1962, pg. 7.
3. ^ Big League Roundup, Baltimore Afro-American, May 8, 1954, pg. 15.

External links

• Baseball Reference
• Retrosheet
• Baseball Library
• Baseball Integration Timeline

Persondata
Name	Roberts, Curt
Alternative names
Short description	American baseball player
Date of birth	August 16, 1929
Place of birth	Pineland, Texas
Date of death	November 14, 1969
Place of death	Oakland, California