After coming up with the Detroit Tigers for a brief spell in 1974, Roberts actually got some decent playing time during the 1975 season, appearing in 129 games and batting .257 with 115 hits and 10 homers in his first full-time action.
But in December of that year he was part of a multi-player trade to the Astros, and he’d only see part-time play in 1976, playing in 87 games, before dropping to only 19 games in 1977, seemingly lost in the mix down in Houston.
In that limited play he did hit .289 in 1976, but only .074 with two hits in 1977 before finding himself a member of the Seattle Mariners during their second year of existence in 1978 after being traded for Jimmy Sexton.
Turns out the 1978 season was easily his best as a Major League player, as he went on to bat .301 with 22 homers and 92 runs batted in while playing right field for Seattle, collecting 142 hits over 472 at-bats.
The following season was also somewhat successful, as he hit .271 with 15 homers and 54 RBIs over 140 games, the most games he’d play in any one season during his career.
But over the final four seasons of his career he’d see his time on a Big League field decrease, ultimately finishing up with the Kansas City Royals in 1984 when he appeared in 28 games, hitting .222 with a homer and three RBIs for the West Division champs.
Over his career, he appeared in exactly 900 games, hitting .267 with 78 homers and 328 RBIs, with 342 runs scored and 731 hits in 2737 at-bats.
