(We are going to make yet another attempt to showcase one of the significant players in the evolution of integrated major league baseball. Our star of this thread is:
Curtis B. "Curt" Roberts. Second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1954-1956. First black player in Pittsburgh Pirates history. 128 hits and 1 home run over 3 MLB seasons. Also played for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1947-1950.
Unlike the three players that have preceded Roberts in this series of threads, Curt does not (yet) have a SABR biography that I can borrow to tell his story. Fortunately, Wikipedia has a treatment of Roberts' life and career that I have been able to use here to accompany my cards.
For the next six days I plan to make a post including an item from my collection with information from Wikipedia's treatment of Roberts. I hope that you find the biographical information concerning Curt's career with Pittsburgh and his role in the integration of the Pirates interesting and would love to see any pieces involving Roberts that may be part of your collection.
And, here we go:
Curtis Benjamin Roberts (August 16, 1929 – November 14, 1969) was an American baseball second baseman who played three seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1956. He was signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent before the 1951 season and obtained by Pittsburgh a year later. After two seasons in the Pirates farm system, Major League Baseball recognizes Roberts as the first black player for the Pirates. After becoming the starting second baseman for the Pirates in his rookie year, Roberts' playing time decreased and he was out of the Majors within three seasons. He then played for multiple teams in the minor leagues before retiring from professional baseball in 1963.
A native of Pineland, Texas, but raised in Oakland, California, Roberts was considered short by Major League standards, standing 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m). Roberts was a skilled defensive player, but he could not hit with enough proficiency to remain in the major leagues. Roberts died when an automobile struck him while he was changing a tire on his car. His former Pirates teammates only learned of his death 20 years later when being interviewed for a newspaper article. Although Roberts' career was short, it paved the way for other black players to debut for the Pirates, the most notable of whom was future Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente.
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