Brian Michael Roberts (born October 9, 1977, in
Durham, North Carolina), nicknamed B-Rob, is a
switch hitting second baseman who plays for the
Baltimore Orioles in the American League. He has
spent his entire professional career with the
Orioles organization and made his Major League debut
in 2001.
Roberts lived in Chapel Hill, NC, as his father was
the baseball coach at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. He graduated from Chapel
Hill High School. During his freshman year in 1997
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
(UNC) Roberts hit .427, with 102 hits, 24 doubles,
47 SB and was named to the NCBWA Second Team and the
Collegiate Baseball Third Team. His sophomore year,
he hit .353, 13 HR, 49 RBI, 21 doubles, 63 SB and
was named to the NCBWA 1st Team, The Sporting News
2nd Team and the Collegiate Baseball 2nd Team.
His 63 stolen bases was more than any player in
college baseball that year. He became the first Tar
Heel to be named ACC player of the year, and was a
first team All-America.
Mike Roberts, Brian's father and head coach at UNC,
was fired by UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour
after the 1998 season, and Brian transferred to play
for coach Ray Tanner at the University of South
Carolina. Roberts started at shortstop for the
Gamecocks and was named the best defensive college
player by Baseball America. Playing in the
Southeastern Conference (SEC), he batted .353, hit
12 home runs, and collected 36 RBI. He still owns
the school and SEC record for stolen bases in a
season with 67. He again was named an All-America
and was a member of the All-SEC team.
