Mel Roberts

Melvin Henry Roberts (January 18, 1943 – September 1, 2007) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. Primarily an outfielder during his playing days, all spent in the minor leagues, Roberts spent four seasons (1992–95) in Major League Baseball as the first-base coach of the Philadelphia Phillies, including service on the Phillies' 1993 National League pennant-winning team.

Roberts was born in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, graduated from Abington Senior High School, and attended both Temple University and Spartanburg Technical College. With lengthy service as a player, coach and manager, Roberts became a longtime resident of Spartanburg, South Carolina. In 781 games played, Roberts batted .234 with 588 hits during a ten-season minor league playing career.

Upon leaving the Phils in 1996 after a 30-year career with the organization, Roberts joined the Atlanta Braves as a minor league coach and spent his final 12 seasons in baseball with the Braves. In 2007, his final campaign, Roberts was a coach with the Rookie-level Danville Braves of the Appalachian League when he died unexpectedly just as the season was concluding, in Danville, Virginia, at age 64, leaving a wife and four children.