Mel Roach

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1953-1962)

Mel Roach was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1962 for the Milwaukee Braves, the Chicago Cubs, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 10 seasons. In 227 career games, he hit .238 with 119 hits, 7 home runs, and 43 RBI.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .238
HR 7
RBI 43
H 119
OPS .606
PIV -337
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 190 lb
Born
1/25/1933 in Richmond, VA, USA
Died
7/31/2023 in Richmond, VA, USA
MLB Debut
1953-07-31
Last Game
1962-09-28

Full name: Melvin Earl Roach

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Career Batting Statistics

Mel Roach — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
227 499 42 119 25 0 7 43 1 24 75 .238 .275 .331 .606 -337

Career AVG .238 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 7.8% below league average.

Career OBP .275 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 16.0% below league average.

Career SLG .331 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 15.9% below league average.

Career OPS .606 vs. league average .721 across their career seasons — 16.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Mel Roach Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1953 ML1 NL 5 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1954 ML1 NL 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1957 ML1 NL 7 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .167 — — — — 0.0
1958 ML1 NL 44 136 14 42 7 0 3 10 0 6 15 .309 .257 (+20%) .324 (+3%) .394 (+8%) .719 (+6%) 116.2
1959 ML1 NL 19 31 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 .097 — — — — 0.0
1960 ML1 NL 48 140 12 42 12 0 3 18 0 6 19 .300 .255 (+18%) .323 (+2%) .387 (+16%) .711 (+9%) 174.1
1961 ML1 NL 13 36 3 6 0 0 1 6 0 2 4 .167 — — — — 0.0
1961 CHN NL 23 39 1 5 2 0 0 1 1 3 9 .128 — — — — 0.0
1962 PHI NL 65 105 9 20 4 0 0 8 0 5 19 .190 .257 (-26%) .326 (-31%) .393 (-42%) .719 (-37%) -627.7
Career · 9 seasons 227 499 42 119 25 0 7 43 1 24 75 .238 — — — — -337

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (227 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Mel Roach — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1092351458316.247
Away1182642861427.231

Last 10 Games — Batting

Mel Roach — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1962-09-28 PHICINL 100000001
1962-09-23 PHICINL 100000001
1962-09-15 PHISTLW 101000100
1962-09-12 PHIATLL 100000000
1962-09-08 PHIATLW 100000000
1962-09-04 PHIHOUL 100000000
1962-09-03 PHIHOUW 100000000
1962-08-30 PHINYNW 100000001
1962-08-28 PHINYNL 300000000
1962-08-26 PHISFGL 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Mel Roach — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 16 7 97 5 1 10
2B 77 54 105 141 8 23
3B 28 13 15 25 2 2
OF 44 41 62 3 6 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Mel Roach — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1953 ML1 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1954 ML1 1B 1 0 3 0 0 2
1957 ML1 2B 5 1 4 3 0 0
1958 ML1 1B 1 0 4 1 0 0
1958 ML1 2B 27 25 56 80 1 13
1958 ML1 OF 7 6 5 1 2 0
1959 ML1 2B 8 3 8 14 3 2
1959 ML1 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1959 ML1 OF 4 4 4 2 2 0
1960 ML1 1B 1 0 4 0 0 0
1960 ML1 2B 20 17 26 29 3 5
1960 ML1 3B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1960 ML1 OF 21 20 39 0 1 0
1961 ML1 1B 2 1 18 0 0 0
1961 ML1 OF 9 9 12 0 0 0
1961 CHN 1B 7 5 50 3 1 8
1961 CHN 2B 7 4 3 5 1 0
1962 PHI 1B 4 1 18 1 0 0
1962 PHI 2B 9 4 8 10 0 3
1962 PHI 3B 26 13 14 25 2 2
1962 PHI OF 3 2 2 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Mel Roach Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 15
Second Base 77
Third Base 28
Left Field 41
Right Field 3

College History

Mel Roach — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Virginia Charlottesville VA 1952, 1953

Mel Roach: the record in brief

July 31, 1953 and September 28, 1962 bracket Mel Roach's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Roach played for the Milwaukee Braves (1953 through 1961), the Chicago Cubs (1961), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1962). Roach played primarily as a second baseman and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on January 25, 1933, in Richmond, VA, USA and a listed size of 190 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Roach's death is recorded on July 31, 2023, in Richmond, VA, USA. The given name on file is Melvin Earl Roach.

Roach's career batting table shows 227 games, 499 at bats and 119 hits, a .238 average, plus 7 homers and 43 RBI. Roach's career OPS of .606 combines a .275 on-base mark with .331 slugging. Set against a .259 league average for the same years, Roach's .238 average sits 7.8% below it. Roach collected a career-high 42 hits in 1958. Among the seasons with the heaviest workload, the best average was .309 in 1958, 20% above that year's league mark of .257.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mel Roach

What years did Mel Roach play?
Mel Roach played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1962.
Was Mel Roach a pitcher?
No. Mel Roach was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did Mel Roach hit?
Mel Roach hit 7 career home runs with 119 hits.
What teams did Mel Roach play for?
Mel Roach played for 3 teams: the Milwaukee Braves (1953–1954, 1957–1961), the Chicago Cubs (1961), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1962).
What were Mel Roach's career stats?
In 227 games, Mel Roach had 119 hits, 7 home runs, 43 RBI, 42 runs, and 1 stolen bases, with a .238 batting average.
What position did Mel Roach play?
Mel Roach played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Mel Roach and how much did he weigh?
Mel Roach was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did Mel Roach hit each season?
Mel Roach's home runs by season: 0 in 1953, 0 in 1954, 0 in 1957, 3 in 1958, 0 in 1959, 3 in 1960, 1 in 1961, and 0 in 1962. His most in one season was 3, in 1958 and 1960.
What was Mel Roach's career batting average?
Mel Roach batted .238 over his career, with 119 hits in 499 at bats.
How many RBI did Mel Roach have?
Mel Roach drove in 43 runs in his career.
Is Mel Roach in the Hall of Fame?
No. Mel Roach has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.