Willis Roberts
| G | GS | CG | IP | H | R | ER | HR | HB | TBB | SO | WP | BR/9 | W | L | PCT | ShO | SV-O | HLD | ERA |
| 28 | 0 | 0 | 39.1 | 41 | 26 | 25 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 26 | 2 | 14.64 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 5.72 |
| Age: 28 Height: 6-3 Weight: 240 lbs. Bats: Right Throws: Right Pos: RP |
Born: June 19, 1975, San Cristobal , Dominican Republic Full Name: Willis Augusto Roberts College: none Experience: 4 years 2003 Salary: $350,000 |
| As happens only too often in baseball, Willis Roberts paid
the piper in 2003, putting up numbers much more befitting his actual
performance than the 3.36 ERA he had managed in 2002. We pointed out that he
could have easily had an additional 1.5 runs per game tacked on to that ERA,
based on his peripherals, and, in 2003, we got that extra run and a half,
plus a little more besides. The bottom line remained unchanged in 2003. Roberts has a vastly inflated opinion of his own ability, based on his histrionics on the mound, and the results in the scorebook. He's a hard thrower, but he actually strikes out fewer than the league average. He allows a pretty standard number of hits. In 2002, what he did well was keep the ball in the ballpark. With the reduced number of doubles and triples at The Yard, a pitcher who can keep the ball in the park has a chance to be successful. Alas, Roberts made friends with his Inner Gopher in 2003, allowing 7 HR in only 39.1 innings, a far cry from his one dinger every 9 in 2001, and his stellar one every 15 in 2002. So, he's back at his old journeyman status again. Not that this is a bad place to be when you made it to the majors at 26, but a far cry from the "potential closer" tag that casual fans placed on him at times in the past. When one gets right down to it, his career curve is not unlike a lot of guys who first make it at his age; a pitcher who is a little less than league average, good enough for the pen as long as things are going reasonably well for him, but only a few bad outings from oblivion. Roberts went down for the season after his appearance on June 28. Three of his last four outings were bad, leading one to wonder if his woes were an indication of his pending shutdown. We wish him well in his attempt to pitch in the majors again in the future. NOTES: had a 3.00 ERA at The Yard...allowed two home runs on his first offered pitch...allowed a .412/.500/.794 with runners in scoring position. |