Dave Roberts

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1969-1981)

Dave Roberts was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1981 for 8 teams, including the San Diego Padres, a span of 13 seasons. Across 445 career appearances, he went 103-125 with a 3.78 ERA and 957 strikeouts. He also batted .194 with 7 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 6391.8.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 103–125
ERA 3.78
WHIP 1.34
SO 957
Pitcher PIV 6391.8
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'3" / 195 lb
Born
9/11/1944 in Gallipolis, OH, USA
Died
1/9/2009 in Short Gap, WV, USA
MLB Debut
1969-07-06
Last Game
1981-05-16

Full name: David Arthur Roberts

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Career Pitching Statistics

Dave Roberts — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
103 125 445 277 77 20 15 2099.0 2,188 882 155 615 957 3.78 6391.8

Career ERA 3.78 vs. league average 3.70 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dave Roberts (b. 1944) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1969 SDN NL 0 3 22 5 0 0 1 48.2 65 26 19 19 4.81 3.61 (-33%) -981.5
1970 SDN NL 8 14 43 21 3 2 1 181.2 182 77 43 102 3.81 3.89 (+2%) 2350.3
1971 SDN NL 14 17 37 34 14 2 0 269.2 238 63 61 135 2.10 3.47 (+39%) 6053.4
1972 HOU NL 12 7 35 28 7 3 2 192.0 227 96 57 111 4.50 3.26 (-38%) -573.1
1973 HOU NL 17 11 39 36 12 6 0 249.1 264 79 62 119 2.85 3.75 (+24%) 3818.9
1974 HOU NL 10 12 34 30 8 2 1 204.0 216 77 65 72 3.40 3.63 (+6%) 1980.2
1975 HOU NL 8 14 32 27 7 0 1 198.1 182 94 73 101 4.27 3.71 (-15%) -203.8
1976 DET AL 16 17 36 36 18 4 0 252.0 254 112 63 79 4.00 3.51 (-14%) -721.0
1977 DET AL 4 10 22 22 5 0 0 129.1 143 74 41 46 5.15 4.00 (-29%) -3349.5
1977 CHN NL 1 1 17 6 1 0 1 53.0 55 19 12 23 3.23 4.00 (+19%) 1536.7
1978 CHN NL 6 8 35 20 2 1 1 142.1 159 83 56 54 5.25 3.69 (-42%) -3328.3
1979 SFN NL 0 2 26 1 0 0 3 42.0 42 12 18 23 2.57 4.00 (+36%) 84.1
1979 PIT NL 5 2 21 3 0 0 1 38.2 47 14 12 15 3.26 4.00 (+19%) 682.9
1980 PIT NL 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 2.1 2 1 1 1 3.86 — 0.0
1980 SEA AL 2 3 37 4 0 0 3 80.1 86 39 27 47 4.37 3.84 (-14%) 165.7
1981 NYN NL 0 3 7 4 0 0 0 15.1 26 16 5 10 9.39 3.58 (-162%) -1123.1
Career · 16 seasons 103 125 445 277 77 20 15 2,099.0 2,188 882 615 957 3.78 — 6,392

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Dave Roberts — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
452 531 28 103 15 4 7 46 0 8 133 .194 .204 .277 .481 -2,216

Career AVG .194 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 24.3% below league average.

Career OBP .204 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 37.0% below league average.

Career SLG .277 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 26.5% below league average.

Career OPS .481 vs. league average .700 across their career seasons — 31.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dave Roberts (b. 1944) 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
1969 SDN NL 23 15 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 .267 — — — — 0.0
1970 SDN NL 43 59 6 9 1 0 2 6 0 1 16 .153 .253 (-40%) .325 (-49%) .385 (-30%) .711 (-38%) -370.5
1971 SDN NL 38 86 2 19 2 0 0 2 0 0 24 .221 .249 (-11%) .316 (-30%) .365 (-33%) .682 (-32%) -423.2
1972 HOU NL 35 67 7 16 1 0 2 9 0 4 16 .239 .243 (-2%) .310 (-12%) .353 (-3%) .664 (-7%) -93.3
1973 HOU NL 41 85 3 11 2 0 0 5 0 0 25 .129 .256 (-50%) .325 (-60%) .378 (-60%) .703 (-60%) -797.8
1974 HOU NL 35 73 3 16 4 3 1 9 0 0 19 .219 .256 (-15%) .324 (-34%) .369 (+8%) .693 (-12%) -209.8
1975 HOU NL 32 63 2 9 2 1 0 5 0 1 12 .143 .257 (-45%) .327 (-52%) .374 (-45%) .701 (-48%) -489.6
1976 DET AL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 DET AL 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 CHN NL 17 17 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 .059 — — — — 0.0
1978 CHN NL 37 52 4 17 3 0 2 7 0 2 7 .327 .257 (+27%) .323 (+9%) .378 (+32%) .702 (+21%) 168.5
1979 SFN NL 26 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 PIT NL 21 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 PIT NL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 SEA AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 NYN NL 7 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .250 — — — — 0.0
Career · 16 seasons 452 531 28 103 15 4 7 46 0 8 133 .194 — — — — -2,216

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Dave Roberts — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Dave Roberts — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1979 NLCS PIT 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Dave Roberts — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Dave Roberts — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1979 NLCS PIT 0 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (897 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Dave Roberts — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2122521252226.206
Away2402791651520.183

Pitching — Home / Away

Dave Roberts — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home2091021.110094162874983.67
Away2361077.211794663284593.89

Last 10 Games — Batting

Dave Roberts — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1981-05-16 NYNLADL 000000000
1981-05-13 NYNSDPL 000000000
1981-05-09 NYNLADW 211000001
1981-05-05 NYNSFGL 000000000
1981-05-03 NYNSDPL 200000001
1981-04-29 NYNPITL 000000000
1981-04-18 NYNWSNL 000000000
1980-10-04 SEATEXL 000000000
1980-09-30 SEAKCRL 000000000
1980-09-28 SEATEXL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Dave Roberts — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1981-05-16 NYNLAD L 1.0455201
1981-05-13 NYNSDP — 0.1000000
1981-05-09 NYNLAD — 4.2522222
1981-05-05 NYNSFG — 0.0222000
1981-05-03 NYNSDP L 7.0742171
1981-04-29 NYNPIT L 1.2755011
1981-04-18 NYNWSN — 0.2100000
1980-10-04 SEATEX — 2.0444321
1980-09-30 SEAKCR — 4.0411010
1980-09-28 SEATEX — 0.2200010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dave Roberts — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 445 277 83 383 16 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dave Roberts — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1969 SDN P 22 5 5 9 0 1
1970 SDN P 43 21 5 29 1 3
1971 SDN P 37 34 10 47 1 2
1972 HOU P 35 28 0 31 1 0
1973 HOU P 39 36 9 39 1 1
1974 HOU P 34 30 15 43 3 5
1975 HOU P 32 27 13 36 0 0
1976 DET P 36 36 6 53 4 6
1977 DET P 22 22 4 23 1 0
1977 CHN P 17 6 3 16 0 1
1978 CHN P 35 20 8 29 0 2
1979 SFN P 26 1 1 9 1 1
1979 PIT P 21 3 1 9 1 1
1980 PIT P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1980 SEA P 37 4 3 6 1 0
1981 NYN P 7 4 0 4 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dave Roberts (b. 1944) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 445

Awards & Honors

Dave Roberts — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-08-23

Award Voting History

Dave Roberts — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1971 Cy Young Award NL 6th 2.0 120 0
1971 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 1.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Dave Roberts (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ray Herbert
    104-107, 4.01 ERA
  2. 90
    Buddy Black
    121-116, 3.84 ERA
  3. 89
    Jack Fisher
    86-139, 4.06 ERA
  4. 89
    Larry Gura
    126-97, 3.76 ERA
  5. 88
    Mike Caldwell
    137-130, 3.81 ERA
  6. 86
    Dave Goltz
    113-109, 3.69 ERA

Dave Roberts: the record in brief

Between the debut on July 6, 1969 and the final game on May 16, 1981, Dave Roberts built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the San Diego Padres (1969 through 1971), the Houston Astros (1972 through 1975), the Detroit Tigers (1976 through 1977), the Chicago Cubs (1977 through 1978), the San Francisco Giants (1979), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1979 to 1980), the Seattle Mariners (1980), and the New York Mets (1981). Roberts is listed as a pitcher at 6'3" and 195 pounds. Roberts threw and hit left-handed, per the bio block. Roberts was born on September 11, 1944, in Gallipolis, OH, USA. Roberts died on January 9, 2009, in Short Gap, WV, USA. Roberts's full given name, per the bio, is David Arthur Roberts.

Roberts's career pitching line is 103 wins, 125 losses and a 3.78 ERA over 445 appearances. The totals include 957 strikeouts, 77 complete games, 20 shutouts, and 15 saves.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dave Roberts

What years did Dave Roberts play?
Dave Roberts played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1981.
Was Dave Roberts a pitcher?
Yes. Dave Roberts pitched in the major leagues, recording 103 wins and 957 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Dave Roberts hit?
Dave Roberts hit 7 career home runs with 103 hits.
What teams did Dave Roberts play for?
Dave Roberts played for 8 teams: the San Diego Padres (1969–1971), the Houston Astros (1972–1975), the Detroit Tigers (1976–1977), the Chicago Cubs (1977–1978), the San Francisco Giants (1979), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1979–1980), the Seattle Mariners (1980), and the New York Mets (1981).
What were Dave Roberts's career stats?
In 445 games, Dave Roberts went 103-125 with a 3.78 ERA, 957 strikeouts, 2,099.0 innings pitched, and 15 saves. At the plate he had 103 hits and 7 home runs.
What position did Dave Roberts play?
Dave Roberts played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Dave Roberts and how much did he weigh?
Dave Roberts was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 195 pounds.
What was Dave Roberts's career ERA?
Dave Roberts finished with a 3.78 career ERA, going 103-125 with 957 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Dave Roberts have?
Dave Roberts recorded 957 career strikeouts.
Is Dave Roberts in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dave Roberts has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.