Credit in baseball tends to go to the players who touch all of the bases, not just two of them.Nevertheless, Brian Roberts deserves a tip of the cap for lacing his major-league-leading 40th double of the season on Wednesday against the A's.
Roberts has hit 40 or more doubles five times in his career. He led the majors with 50 doubles in 2004 and set the Orioles' club record for doubles with 51 in 2008 (Beau Bell also hit 51 doubles in 1937).
[More after the jump.]
He currently stands sixth on the O's all-time list for career doubles. His 302 doubles are 27 behind Brady Anderson, and he is likely to finish in the top three behind Cal Ripken (603) and Brooks Robinson (482), ahead of Eddie Murray (363).
Last season Roberts joined Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff as only the second trio of Orioles teammates to eclipse 40 doubles in the same season. Robert Alomar, Rafael Palmeiro, and Cal Ripken did so in 1996.
Should Nick Markakis hit four more doubles this season, he and Roberts will have both reached the 40-double mark for three consecutive seasons. Markakis is currently tied for second among A.L. leaders in doubles.
Despite Roberts' efforts, SI.com's Joe Posnanski doesn't like the second baseman's 4-year, $40 million contract with the Birds.
Speaking of Roberts and Michael Young, Posnanski comments, "Maybe I'm wrong -- I hope I'm wrong because they both seem like likable guys you would root for -- but it seems to me that one or both of these contracts will be an albatross before the day is done.
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