Since taking over on July 29, 2010, Buck Showalter has managed 582 games for the Orioles. Brian Roberts, mainly due to injury, played in fewer than one-third of them — just 161 in all.
Nevertheless, Showalter saw enough, particularly last year, to envision Roberts being a significant contributor to his new team – the Yankees.
“I had a good relationship with him,” Showalter said by phone. “We are going to miss him. He is competitive. And I really like him. You saw glimpses [last year] of what everyone used to see, and I believe it is still there. He takes very good care of himself. He has something left. I’d be surprised if he didn’t do well for the Yankees. And I mean that.”
Showalter acknowledged there is a lot of maintenance with Roberts, 36, whose past four seasons have been overwhelmed by injuries to his hip and hamstring that necessitated surgeries, and prolonged battles with concussion symptoms.
Nevertheless, Showalter said Roberts “fits” the Yankees, and by that meant: He is a patient hitter who will work pitch counts, draw walks and produce a good on-base percentage. Showalter thought Roberts was a smart enough hitter to capitalize on the Stadium’s short right-field porch and predicted 10-15 homers were a reasonable expectation. Showalter said Roberts’ range has been affected somewhat by injury and age, but that he is a steady defender at second base.
Showalter expects some transitional issues for Roberts, who has only played for the Orioles in his career, but the former Yankees manager pointed to attributes that will make Roberts’ Baltimore-to-New York switch easier.
“Brian is smart, Brian is media savvy,” Showalter said, “and I think Brian will be a good teammate.”
Roberts cleaned out his locker after the Orioles’ final game, and Baltimore officials took that as a sign he might want a change of scenery, might want to join a team with a richer history of recent contention. Baltimore executives still believed they would have some chance to counter offers, but Roberts took the Yankees’ $2 million bid without notifying the Orioles, who probably would have gone to that amount — maybe a drop more — to keep a player long viewed as a favorite of owner Peter Angelos.