There are times when Cody Roberts thinks his long, winding journey through the minor leagues has an end in sight, that he could end up being the 101st El Paso Chihuahua to crack the Major Leagues.
There are other times, such as June when his bat deserted him, when the Chihuahuas catcher sees how far there is to go.
What he is sure of is that the recently completed All-Star break came at a perfect time to reset and start another push to the top. Roberts banged out two hits in Wednesday’s win against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, he’s now 3-of-8 since the All-Star break, and while that only moves his batting average with the Chihuahuas to .208 this season, it’s all about momentum and direction.
Right now the 29-year-old Roberts is giving every indication he’s shaking a slump and putting himself back in contention to take the final step past Triple-A. That all really got going with last week’s four-day break.
“Getting to step away for three or four days was really good for me, just to get my mind off of it,” Roberts said. “It puts everything in perspective. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves. It’s a very, very mentally taxing game here. Getting away from the game for just a few days, being able to relax and see the family, it was good.
“You know, in years past, I didn’t look too much into (the healing power of the All-Star break), but the month I had prior to it was more of a mental battle. Some days I was feeling good and just having no success at all.”
That started early in the season, his first in the Padres organization after two years with the Phillies, when he was having some issues with his swing and was sent down to Double-A San Antonio.
He hit .304 there in a three-week stint and got promoted back to El Paso, only to struggle through the month of June when he hit .147.
“Every year, especially Triple-A, you feel like you’re getting closer and closer,” said Roberts, who has spent his previous two years splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A. “Obviously I didn’t have a great June, it feel like you’re really far away when you’re not playing great.
“But the reality is you put up some good numbers and you have a good month and you never know what’s gonna happen, especially in Tripe-A. There’s injuries, trades, there’s all sorts of things that happen. I feel close, but sometimes I feel far.”
He could add that’s especially true at catcher, a position physically demanding enough that just hanging around and being patient can create opportunities. The Chihuahuas other catcher, Luis Campusano, has been called up to San Diego three times this year. Campusano, the Chihuahuas best hitter, was DH Wednesday.
If Roberts continues his resurgence everything else is in place. After playing “just about every position” as a high school player in North Carolina and getting recruited to the University of North Carolina as both a pitcher and catcher, he settled at catcher to make use of his potent right arm.
“I’ve always been good defensively,” Roberts said. “I try to control the run game, I like to back pick (throw behind) a lot to keep guys from attempting to try. That’s been a strength of mine. I’ve hit well the last couple of years. This year is a little shaky but I’m starting to put it back together here in the second half. “
He’s a career .252 hitter in seven years in the minors, perfectly fine for a catcher.
Defensively, Roberts has thrown out 35% of potential base stealers this year, significantly above the minor league average of 22%.
That defensive potential assured he would get chances to play pro ball and he was drafted in the 11th round by the Orioles in 2018, just before that organization went a different direction, brought in a new general manager and a new staff that had nothing to do with drafting him.
Nonetheless, Roberts worked his way up in that organization before moving over to the Phillies in 2023. When he had a chance to make another move this offseason he knew what he was looking for.
“I just wanted the place I could get the best opportunity,” Roberts said. “The Padres have been truthful to me. They’ve given me opportunities when I deserved them.”
That makes him confident that if he can continue to find his swing, catch a few breaks, have a hot month, he may get the chance to be the 101st Chihuahua to see the Major Leagues.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso Chihuahuas Cody Roberts finding his bat, gets closer to Major League dream
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
