Josh Roberts, Brisbane Bandit, captain, former MVP and All-Star

If actions truly speak louder than words, the sound of Josh Roberts in the Brisbane Bandits clubhouse must be deafening.

The right fielder has truly taken on a leadership role within the team, and not just in his numbers, though he does lead the Bandits in almost every offensive category that is statistically available.

He is also a team captain, to go along with being Brisbane’s MVP last year, and a representative on Team Australia in this season’s Australian Baseball League All-Star Game. 

“He leads by example,” said Shayne Watson, former teammate of Roberts and current third base coach for the Bandits. “He won’t ask of anyone anything that he doesn’t do himself. He just expects the same as what he delivers [to the team]. That’s probably him in a nutshell right there, as a team leader.”

Roberts is not only a leader, but also a team player in every sense of the word. The only task on his mind during practices or games is to help his team at any and all costs, despite what it might mean in the sense of his own accomplishments. 

“My only goal is to help get us to the playoffs,” Roberts said. “I don’t care if I hit .200, as long as we get there. If I’ve got to ground out to get the guy over 100 times for the rest of the season, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Fortunately for Brisbane fans, the 25-year-old is hitting nowhere near the Mendoza Line, the number he eluded to. In the most recent series against Melbourne, Roberts batted .473 (9-for-19) with two home runs, a double, six runs scored and he drove in five runs.

He leads the entire league with 14 doubles, and is just one away from cracking the record for two-base hits from last season. The outfielder also ranks among league leaders in average (.313), extra-base hits (21), total bases (85) and RBI (29).

Roberts wouldn’t be aware of any of this though, because he doesn’t look at his stats during the season. He’s more concerned about how he can help the team than what he’s doing on his own.

“I try not to think about it,” he said. “I just come out here and play. Because if you start thinking about that kind of stuff, you start trying too hard, and it doesn’t work out for you.”

What’s the most important thing that Roberts hopes that he can contribute to the Bandits on an everyday basis?

“My work ethic, hopefully,” Roberts said. “Hopefully people can see that I work hard and play the game hard and hopefully they can feed off of that.”

Working hard and playing hard seems to be the name of the game for many Australian players and veteran baseballers. Roberts, like many of his teammates, puts in a full day of hard labour before heading to the ballpark for stretching, training and games, and often uses up his holidays for road trips or other baseball-related activities.

It’s this kind of dedication that makes the ABL a great place to play however, as guys would not participate if not for the love of the game.

“If you don’t just play for love, then you’re not going to play,” Roberts said of the league. “Over [in America], you’re trying to prove to people that you can play, and you’re trying to get up to the next level. So really, you’re playing for yourself, whereas here it’s more of a team atmosphere.”

Having signed with the Cleveland Indians at the young age of just 17, the Bandits captain found out firsthand what playing overseas was like very early on. Though it was a great experience and he got to live the dream of signing a professional contract, the team environment seems to suit Roberts better.

“You have more fun as a team,” he said. “In the States you obviously have fun, but here you go everywhere as a team and everyone wants to do things together.”

On Tuesday night during batting practice, Roberts led a game of bat-and-baseball-style cricket in the cages, engaging several of his teammates well beyond the length of the training session. It’s that kind of team togetherness and familiarity that will help the Bandits in their push for the post-season.

“I think we’re coming together a little more [as a team],” Watson said. “With us being close in the hunt [for playoffs] and feeling confident that we can get some wins out of our pitching staff and knowing that we can put runs on the board, I think a lot of the guys are confident. It helps with our camaraderie within the team.”