Grant Roberts Stats & Scouting Report

IP	101
ERA	4.277
WHIP	1.416
BB/9	3.297
SO/9	6.861

Full name Grant William Roberts
Born 09/13/1977 in El Cajon, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Grossmont
Debut 07/27/2000
Drafted in the 11th round (301st overall) by the New York Mets in 1995.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The organization's former top prospect, Roberts is approaching a career crossroads. A starter for most of his pro career, Roberts went 0-3, 8.54 in his first five outings at Norfolk in 2001. Not only did it keep him from getting a promotion when injuries struck New York's rotation in May, but it also prompted a move to the bullpen. He showed promise in his new role before tiring at the end of the year. Roberts has a 93-94 mph fastball with excellent movement. It can be overpowering, particularly against righthanders. When he's throwing his curveball and slider for strikes, Roberts does a good job of keeping hitters off balance. Due to an inconsistent release point on his breaking pitches, Roberts struggles with his command. When the going gets tough he becomes a one-pitch pitcher, allowing hitters to sit on his fastball. Roberts also tends to leave his pitches up in the strike zone, making him vulnerable to homers. The Mets were encouraged with the maturity Roberts showed, compared with his brief stint in the majors in 2000. Based on the adjustments he makes in spring training, Roberts could be their fifth starter, part of their bullpen or a member of the Norfolk staff.
Once the system's top prospect, Roberts has always needed a little extra push. He may have gotten a wakeup call last year when the Expos rocked him in his first big league start. He has come back from November 1997 elbow surgery to flash excellent stuff again, and now his makeup may come closer to matching his repertoire. The durable Roberts has a good, live arm with a low- to mid-90s fastball, a hard curveball and an average slider. After returning to Norfolk after his first glimpse of the majors, he worked harder than ever. He picked up his running program on his own and ended the season with four complete games. His weakest pitch is a changeup that has made enough progress to border on average. Most of Roberts' difficulty, though, has been his makeup. He hasn't been nearly as dominant after his surgery as he was before it. After ending 2000 on a good note, showing positives in a couple of relief outings against Montreal, Roberts should make a bid as a long man or swing man on New York's Opening Day staff.
Background: Roberts was the Mets' top prospect last winter but was sidelined for the first half of 1998 after undergoing offseason elbow surgery. He rehabbed successfully and was considered by many scouts to be the Maryland Fall League's top pitching prospect. Strengths: Roberts has a great pitcher's body, a sound straight over-the-top delivery and two potentially dominating pitches. His fastball is regularly in the mid-90s, and he has a power curveball that gets excellent downward bite. Considering his raw stuff and age, Roberts has shown very good control potential. Weaknesses: The elbow problems have set back work on the fine tuning that Roberts needs, mostly with his changeup and spotting his pitches more consistently in the strike zone. The Future: The Mets do not have a very good track record of rehabbing pitchers from elbow injuries, but Roberts looked to have put his problems behind him in Maryland. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Mets move him directly to Double-A in 1999.