Dave Roberts Admits it Will be a ‘Learning Curve’ Having Shohei Ohtani on the Dodgers

In just his third press conference since he was introduced as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani introduced himself to a horde of journalists at Camelback Ranch on Saturday. Only a velvet rope separated him from the cameras, phones, and recorders aimed in his direction.

The swarm of 50 or so journalists waited for their few precious minutes with baseball’s superstar for hours, hoping to get their shot. Then they followed him around for his workout.

This is the new reality for the Los Angeles Dodgers: Swarms of media members with a primary focus on one player.

This reality is not new for Ohtani. The cameras begin clicking as soon as he gets out of his car in the morning, and don’t stop until he is done for the day. Each time he mentions working out with a teammate, that teammate becomes the media’s next target.

Manager Dave Roberts appreciates what it means to lead this team, but he also admits that there is a bit of a learning curve with this extra attention.

“When you put this uniform on, there’s a certain standard in how you go about things,” Dave Roberts said. “(That includes) appreciating the fact that there’s more responsibility, more autographs to sign, more media probably to contend with.

“It’s going to be a learning curve for everyone. But I think that part of my messaging to the players is going to be, it comes with the territory. I think that the expectations of winning, the expectations of answering questions when you don’t feel like it, it’s part of the job.”

— Dave Roberts via The Athletic

The players are also adjusting to having Ohtani in the clubhouse. Since he is less available to speak about himself than any other player in the sport, they might find themselves in the novel situation of having to answer for him.

Under the circumstances, Roberts doesn’t want the attention on Ohtani to distract the team. He realizes that the added media presence — and the questions that come along with it — is a unique burden.

As long as the Dodgers keep their focus on the game, and not let anything apart from that become a distraction, their season under a microscope figures to go smoothly behind the scenes.

Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

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