Brian Roberts returned to the Orioles lineup on July 23rd. He has played in 29 of the O’s 32 games since that point.
In August he has a .774 OPS, with 12 walks (vs. 10 k’s), 5 doubles, and 3 homers.
Roberts showing an ability to be healthy enough to play everyday, eliminates a major issue heading to this off-season. At one point this Summer, there were plenty of people around Baltimore saying Roberts might never play (or at-least be an effective regular) again.
There appears to be a tangible difference with Roberts in the lineup, starting with his ability to work counts and get the opposing starting pitcher to show more of his arsenal. Intangibly, several players (most loudly Adam Jones) have talked about the difference he makes at the top of the lineup.
With a game built mostly on speed, there are still questions of how productive Roberts will be over the duration of his contract. Those questions aside, Roberts has again claimed his status as a player that can be a piece of the next winning Orioles team.
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.