Los Angeles Dodgers tab Dave Roberts as next manager
On Sunday night the Los Angeles Times reported that the Dodgers were close to hiring Dave Roberts as their new manager. Throughout the night other sources began to confirm this, and it appears he will be announced as the replacement to Don Mattingly soon.
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Roberts’ playing career spanned ten seasons and five teams. He’s probably best remembered for his steal in game four of the 2004 ALCS that helped the Red Sox fight off elimination against the Yankees. That win sparked an improbable come back in the ALCS that led to the Red Sox first world title since 1918.
Offensively Roberts had a few above average seasons, but most of his value was on the base paths. He stole 30 bases at least six times, and finished top ten in the NL five times. Heading to the Dodgers will be a homecoming of sorts for Roberts. He spent at least parts of 2002-2004 with the club.
In 2011 Roberts joined the San Diego Padres coaching staff. Initially he spent time as the first base coach, and then settled in as the bench coach. When Bud Black was fired part way through the 2015 season Roberts managed one game before Pat Murphy assumed the role of interim manager.
As Jerry Crasnick of ESPN noted, the Dodgers also interviewed Tim Wallach, Ron Roenicke, Kirk Gibson, Darin Erstad, Bud Black, and Dave Martinez.
Roberts takes over a Dodgers team that has won at least 90 games three years in a row. Even with that success, there was always the feeling that the Dodgers were underperforming to a degree with Mattingly at the helm. The past two years they’ve been unable to make it past the NLDS even with what many consider the best one-two starting pitching combination in baseball (Kershaw and Greinke).
This is also a team with a lot of questions heading into this off-season. Will they be able to retain Zack Greinke? If not, will they be able to lock up an elite free agent starter like David Price, Johnny Cueto, or Jordan Zimmerman? What will be the result of all the recent rumors regarding some unhappiness in the clubhouse with Yasiel Puig?
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Roberts appears to have landed in a great spot for his first managerial role. In Andrew Friedman the Dodgers have a highly regarded president of baseball operations, and they have limitless resources. In a situation where simply making the playoffs might not be good enough, Roberts will need to find success early and often to help satisfy a fanbase looking for its first world title since 1988.