Editorials

Dodgers’ Manager Dave Roberts Looks to Continue Winning Tradition

Dave Roberts has exceeded the expectations but his job will not be complete until there is a World Series in Los Angeles.

People can talk about the injuries and the Dodgers pitching rotation but others are starting to understand Roberts’ tactics. He can be the next Dodger manager to earn a division pennant in his first season. It is still difficult to grasp that Roberts has never managed a Major League Baseball team.



Dodgers’ Dave Roberts: His Case for NL Manager of the Year [graphiq id=”17kDygzqtOR” title=”Dave Roberts” width=”500″ height=”748″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/17kDygzqtOR” link=”https://www.graphiq.com” link_text=”Visualization by Graphiq” ]

Lets take a look back to the Dodgers 39 years ago.

The 1977 Dodgers were one of three squads that earned a NL Division title and appeared in the Fall Classic.

Why was this season so different?

On Sept. 20, the Dodgers were visiting Candlestick Park where they defeated the San Francisco Giants. This was the earliest the Dodgers clinched a National League Division title in a season. After taking over the managerial position from Walter Alston, Tommy Lasorda earned his first NL Division title as a first-year manager. This was the beginning of the Lasorda Era until the 1996 season.

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Why is this so important to the Dodgers?

Looking at the Lasorda’s timeline as one of the top managers in Dodgers’ history, the fans and the organization can look forward to Roberts’ managerial career.

Roberts will join Lasorda and Joe Torre to earn a National League Division title in their first seasons. The Dodgers’ manager is more than just the first minority manager in Major League Baseball history, he is a players’ coach. That is what the players see and this is what the fans should know.

He relates because he was a player for 11 season and during the 2002, 2003, and part of the 2004 seasons he was apart of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Now he is pursuing to head back and win a World Series championship as he did with the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

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Another name that we can label Roberts as is a middle manager. This is where he can be a team builder, a channel between the front office and clubhouse, and a figure that is never bigger than the players.

The 2016 season will be recognized as the beginning of the Roberts Era.

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