Kevin Roberson played in four major league seasons; Hit game-winner in 1993 off Lee Smith

Kevin Roberson had a good spring for the Mets in 1996 and the Mets looked forward to what the ex-Cubs outfielder could do in the regular season, according to The New York Times.

His spring included seven hits, four of them home runs, The Times wrote.

"Maybe we've caught lightning in a bottle," Mets hitting coach Tom McCraw told The Times. "I knew he was strong, but he has shown consistent power in his hits."

After parts of three seasons spent with the Cubs, Roberson joined the Mets for 1996. In the regular season that year, Roberson saw 27 games, the final games of his big league career.

Roberson's career began in 1988, taken by the Cubs in the 16th round of the draft out of Parkland College in Illinois.

Roberson started with the Cubs at rookie Wytheville. He hit .209 over 63 games, with three home runs.

He moved to single-A Charleston for 1989 and then high-A Winston-Salem and AA Charlotte in 1990. He hit .262 overall in 1990, with 10 home runs.

Roberson played at Charlotte in 1991, then AAA Iowa in 1992. In 1993, he debuted in Chicago.

Over 62 games with the Cubs in 1993, Roberson hit .189, but knocked nine home runs. He hit one of his home runs in August, a ninth-inning game-winning shot off future hall of famer Lee Smith, according to The Chicago Tribune.

"I was just trying to get a base hit," Roberson, told The Tribune afterward. "It's definitely a good feeling."

Roberson returned for 44 games with the Cubs in 1994 and 32 in 1995. He went 7 for 45, with four home runs in 1995.

He then signed as a free agent wit the Mets in 1996. Over his 27 games, he hit .222, with three home runs to end his major league career.

Roberson continued, however, to play in the minors. He played 1997 with the Giants at AAA Phoenix, then 1998 with the White Sox at AAA Calgary. He then spent time with the Twins at AAA Salt Lake in 2000.

Roberson then played in Mexico and returned stateside for three final seasons in the independent Northern League. He last played for independent Joliet in 2004.

• Chicago Tribune, Aug. 7, 1993: Roberson's homer in 9th stuns Cards
• New York Times, March 19, 1996: A Twinge in Pulsipher's Elbow Puts a Frown in Mets' Clubhouse

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:3,266
Made the Majors:1,177-36.0%-X
Never Made Majors:2,089-64.0%
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 486
10+ Seasons in the Minors:286