With his beloved ball club in last place entering Wednesday?s game, Brian Roberts reiterated his stance that he wants to turn around the franchise that has suffered through nine and a half straight losing seasons.
“I think there is an appeal to play your whole career with one organization,” said Roberts, who signed a two-year contract extension before the season started, ensuring he?d be in Baltimore until 2009. “Not many people get to do that. I would be lying if I said there?s not intrigue in other places, especially when you?re losing. But I want to see this organization win, and I want to be a part of making that happen.”
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In the past year and a half, Roberts has arguably put in more work than anyone else, simply to stay in the lineup. In particular, Roberts had to battle back from the dislocated elbow that truncated his 2005 season.
“It was a lot rougher than I?d ever expected,” Roberts said of his rehab. “It was just a daily grind mentally and physically.”
He estimated that his elbow wasn?t back to full health until December this past offseason.
“There were times when I had no idea when I?d play,” Roberts said of his mentality heading into the 2006 season. “You just get to the point where it would be better to be playing than rehabbing in Florida somewhere.”
Entering Wednesday, Roberts was batting a team-best .320 with two home runs and 17 runs batted in. He leads the team with 21 steals, 37 walks, 39 runs and a .409 on-base percentage.
Manager Sam Perlozzo is glad to have Roberts atop the order, and calls the switch-hitting talent one of the best second basemen in the game. Leading the American League with 21 steals, Roberts? stats tend to backup that statement.
“Brian is a great reader of pitches. He has a great instinct when it comes to getting jumps,” Perlozzo said. “But he?s still nursing that hamstring.”
Roberts has been battling a sore hamstring for a few weeks, and can?t pinpoint when exactly he tweaked it.
In the meantime, Roberts is playing through the pain and trying to contribute where he can.
“That?s everybody?s goal ? to be as well rounded a player as you can be,” Roberts said. “If you don?t get hits one night, you can get the job done defensively.”
Roberts has been doing that all year, too, committing just four errors in 62 games at second. Perlozzo noted that Roberts has put in more work this season defensively than in years past.
But for some reason, the rest of baseball isn?t taking notice.
Roberts wasn?t among the league?s top five All-Star Game vote-getters at his position.
“The All-Star Game is great ? but a lot of times you look in there and it?s the big market teams,” Roberts said. “I understand that.”
Tigers? second baseman Placido Polanco leads the balloting over the Yankees? Robinson Cano and Red Sox rookie Dustin Pedroia.
THE ROBERTS FILE
» Age: 29
» Height: 5-foot-9
» Weight: 179
» College: North Carolina
» Resides: Scottsdale, AZ
