Kevin Roberts
| IP | 311 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.283 |
| WHIP | 1.415 |
| BB/9 | 4.601 |
| SO/9 | 8.797 |
- Full name Kevin Wayne Roberts
- Born 05/15/1984 in Houston, TX
- Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Houston
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Drafted in the 5th round (145th overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2005 (signed for $180,000).
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Lightly recruited out of high school, Roberts has become a two-way standout at Houston. He has hit .359 with a team-high eight homers this spring, while going 6-3, 3.59 as the Cougars' No. 3 starter. He's wiry strong and has some pop at the plate, though he's a little shaky on defense. His future is on the mound. Roberts' stuff hasn't been consistently sharp this spring, mostly because he has been pulling double duty. At his best, he has shown a 90-94 mph fastball, a true 12-to-6 curveball and a good straight changeup. He projects more as a pro reliever, though it has been difficult for scouts to get a feel for him in that role. He looked good coming out of the bullpen in the Cape Cod League last summer, though he pitched just 11 innings for Falmouth. The success of Jesse Crain and Ryan Wagner has teams willing to bank on another Houston reliever, and the feeling is Roberts will have two consistent plus pitches when he focuses solely on pitching.
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Roberts is another in a recent line of two-way University of Houston stars that includes Brad Sullivan and Jesse Crain, as well as Brad Lincoln, who could go in the first round of the 2006 draft. Unlike Sullivan and Crain, Roberts never put up All-America numbers in college, posting back-to-back 4.00-plus ERAs in his last two seasons. He also led the Cougars in home runs (nine) as a junior. However, his stuff took a jump in the Cape Cod League in 2004, when Roberts focused mainly on pitching. Now that he no longer has to play the infield, his fastball should touch 94 mph more regularly. His curveball is a solid-average pitch that just needs a little more consistency. He has shown flashes of a solid changeup as well. He's not gifted with a perfect pitcher's body, so he'll have to keep his fastball down to be successful. Roberts likely will open in low Class A, where he struggled at the end of his pro debut.
