Ex-Giant Roberts grateful to Bochy

SAN DIEGO -- Former outfielder Dave Roberts, who's advancing in his career as a Major League coach with the Padres, partly attributed his progress to Giants manager Bruce Bochy's influence.

Roberts is in his first season as San Diego's bench coach after spending three years as the club's first-base coach. Wherever Roberts' career takes him -- bench coaches, essentially the No. 2 men on a coaching staff, often are considered one step away from becoming managers -- he said Saturday that he'll always treasure what he learned from Bochy.

"His in-game abilities are well-documented," said Roberts, who played for Bochy during his final four years as a Major Leaguer (2005-06 with San Diego and 2007-08 with the Giants). "But his behind-the-scenes of dealing with players, and even how he dealt with me at the end of my career, was always great. That's a major takeaway for me."

Roberts noted that he relishes the opportunity to teach players various aspects of the game. Indirectly, Bochy helped Roberts in this realm. Roberts expressed his appreciation for serving under Padres manager Buddy Black and added, "He has the same skill set as Boch."