David Wayne Roberts (born February 17, 1951) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and catcher, who played all or part of ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, and Philadelphia Phillies, between 1972 and 1982.

After his junior year, he was made the number one overall pick in the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft by the Padres on June 6.

Although Ivie hit decently, his defense was poor, and he wound up splitting time with Ted Kubiak and Héctor Torres.

He was given another shot at the majors in late August, and once again he finished the year as the Padres regular third baseman, batting .283 in 33 games down the stretch.

This time, Roberts did not return to the majors, as his offensive numbers in Hawaii slipped to a .249 average with 10 home runs and 53 RBI.

Following the 1976 season, the Padres sold Roberts' contract to the expansion Toronto Blue Jays along with those of Dave Hilton and Héctor Torres.

However, as the offseason went on, the Padres traded their starting catcher, Fred Kendall to the Cleveland Indians in a deal which brought them slugging outfielder George Hendrick.

Owner Ray Kroc, determined to make a big splash, also signed ace reliever Rollie Fingers and catcher-first baseman Gene Tenace as free agents.

With the team's bench now a bit thin, the Padres reacquired Roberts from the Blue Jays in exchange for reliever Jerry Johnson.

He had lost the job as Tenace's backup to rookie Rick Sweet, and with Davis seemingly entrenched as the third catcher, there was no place for him on the roster.

However, things changed at the end of May, as the Padres had decided to move Tenace permanently to first base, bumping Gene Richards back to the outfield.

However, the Padres finally decided to part ways with their second #1 overall pick, having traded Mike Ivie in February.

In return, the Padres acquired utility man and pinch hitter Kurt Bevacqua, first baseman Mike Hargrove, and Roberts' replacement as backup catcher, Bill Fahey.

The following year, Roberts was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies at the end of spring training for a minor league pitcher.