He played for five MLB teams over a ten-year career and then coached for the San Diego Padres before being named Dodgers manager in 2016.

The son of a Japanese mother and an African American father, Roberts became the first manager of Asian heritage to lead a team to the World Series in 2017, when the Dodgers captured the National League pennant.

He was born to Waymon, a United States Marine stationed in Japan and Eiko, a Japanese woman native to Okinawa.

Roberts attended Vista High School as a freshman and was the most valuable player of the junior varsity baseball team.

[7] He transferred to Rancho Buena Vista High School when it opened the following year, where he was a standout in football, basketball and baseball.

[7] In football, he was a three-year starter at quarterback; as a senior, he helped lead his team to the San Diego Section Class 3A championship.

[7] Roberts decided to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and joined their Bruins baseball team as a walk-on outfielder after impressing coaches with his speed and enthusiasm.

[9] He left UCLA as the school's all-time stolen-base leader and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1995.

[16] He appeared in three games for the AA Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League at the end of the season and had two hits in nine at-bats.

[15] He also hit a three-run home run in the 15th inning to help the Suns win Game 1 of their playoff series.

[20] Roberts later said his promotion to Buffalo was exciting because he realized he was getting close to the big leagues and his time there made him a better player.

[22] His first MLB hit was a double to center field in his second at-bat, off of Bobby Witt of the Devil Rays in the second inning.

[25] Roberts spent most of 2000 back in the minors with Buffalo, where he had a .292 average in 120 games with a career high 13 homers, 55 RBI and 39 steals.

[13] On December 22, 2001, Roberts was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league pitchers Christian Bridenbaugh and Nial Hughes.

[29] On July 31, 2004, the Dodgers traded Roberts to the Boston Red Sox for minor league outfielder Henri Stanley.

On the first pitch to Mueller, Roberts stole second base, barely beating Yankee catcher Jorge Posada's throw.

[33] The Red Sox traded Roberts to the San Diego Padres on December 20, 2004, in exchange for outfielder Jay Payton, infielder Ramón Vázquez, minor league pitcher David Pauley, and cash.

[16] In the 2006 National League Division Series, Roberts hit .438 to lead the Padres, even though they were eliminated from the playoffs by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Roberts was batting only .216 before he went on the disabled list, but his swing had been hampered by the bone chips and spurs in his elbow that required surgery.

[41] In May 2009, Roberts retired from baseball and joined NESN as a studio analyst and occasional color commentator for Red Sox telecasts.

[42] After one season as a broadcaster, he left the network to join the Padres as a Baseball Operations Special Assistant, where he would work with players in the organization on outfield defense, base running and bunting.

[47] Pat Murphy was named as the new manager the next day and Roberts returned to his bench coach role for the rest of the season.

Despite the injuries, the Dodgers won their fourth consecutive NL West title and advanced to the 2016 NLCS, losing to the eventual champions Chicago Cubs in 6 games.

[51] In 2017, Roberts led the Dodgers back to the playoffs, where they swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2017 NLDS and then defeated the Chicago Cubs in five games in the 2017 NLCS.

In 2018, the Dodgers got off to a rocky start at the beginning of the season with a 16–26 record, but rebounded to win the NL West, finishing 92–71.

They swept the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2020 National League Wild Card Series and the San Diego Padres in the 2020 NLDS, both of which had modified schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After coming back from a 3–1 deficit against the Atlanta Braves in the 2020 NLCS, the Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in six games in the 2020 World Series.

Cole played college baseball for Loyola Marymount University and is currently in the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system.

[59][60] Roberts, along with former teammate Rich Aurilia and friends John and Noelle Micek, have been partners in Red Stitch Winery, based in Cardiff, California, since 2008.