Dodgers Expected to Retain Dave Roberts as Manager
Since the end of last night’s game (and some can say even way before that), Dave Roberts seemed to be public enemy number 1.
Fans were ready to kick to six-year Dodgers manager to the side of the road and placed some (if not all) of the blame solely on him and his management decisions for the team’s fall in Game 4.
But, a source reported to the LA Times’ Jack Harris that despite the fans’ disgruntled emotions, Dave Roberts would be in fact returning for the 2023 season.
The article stated:
“Dave Roberts is expected to return in 2023 for his eighth season as Dodgers manager, and first under the new three-year contract extension he signed before this past season, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.”
Roberts has been the Dodgers’ manager since 2016 and he has taken the team to the postseason every single year since. But, as many have complained about, he’s only produced one World Series-winning team back in 2020. And just like every other year, this year was no different.
Although some are still confused about his decisions for the pitching staff in Game 4, he wasn’t the sole reason for the team’s fall in the NLDS. The lack of hits, especially with multiple scoring opportunities, was one of the team’s greatest downfalls.
This 2022 team might have been one of the best Dodgers squads there was and ever will be but when it came crunch time, the 111-game-winning team folded. Maybe Roberts is to blame for a little bit of that but ultimately the fact still stands that he will be here for 2023 and the 2024 season. Let’s just hope we can actually finish the season with a ring one of those years.
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I’m not a Dave Roberts fan, but he wasn’t the reason the Dodgers lost. Betts & Bellinger, .143, Smith .188, JT and Thompson .154, Taylor .000 with three strike outs Saturday. Add poor defense and no clutch hitting, and you have another playoff failure. My biggest gripe with Roberts, he never used the team’s elite speed. You never saw players bunt when in a slump, or when the situation called for it (e.g. Game 3 vs. SD). I know that a player who never practices bunting will not be a reliable bunter in a game, but that’s where Roberts failed, not having Bellinger, Lux, Taylor , Betts and Turner bunt during spring training, if for no other reason than to put pressure on the defense and to play them honestly. Will it change in 2023? I doubt it.
If DR is to be retained, he needs to change his hitting coaches and their philosophy of launch and slug only. Their teaching of Cody, JT, CT, and even Mookie’s looping uppercut swing are not cutting it. Must change the offensive thinking to getting on base and drive in runs w/ simple hits, by small ball, going oppo, or create aggressive base running. Nomar and JHair would be good offensive coordinators and hitting coaches to produce big numbers for the talent the Dodgers have.
Right on!
I could definitely get behind taking a bat and putting it where the sun don’t shine to every hitting instructor that teaches launch angle!
Dave Roberts cannot manage a pitching staff. There was no legitimate reasons to pull out Tyler Anderson he could’ve gone two even three or four more innings! Robert does this constantly that’s what lost us the last World Series! He micromanages the pitchers and it doesn’t work!
It wasn’t Dave this year, he did a fine job with the pitchers. Was it perfect, nope, but at this point, it is not going to be perfect. I am okay with how he played it. It is solely at the feet of the glacier bats
Well, I think you’ve said what we are all seeing ourselves which Roberts must be blind to: when your batters are not hitting and you are facing excellent pitching “small ball” MUST be utilized to hopefully take a close game. If he had done that in Game 2 we might have won that game and still be playing. Others mention here that the uppercut swings usually result in catchable routine fly balls or pop-ups. So I do pin this disastrous post-season on Roberts because he is the only one who can change how the team approaches their at-bats. Given the talent he has been given most of his managing career, especially this year, I would not be at all sorry to see him go and, at this point, after so many post-season failures, he must go. Nice guy, but you know the old adage – nice guys finish last.
He should of never taken out Anderson . Anderson was doing great holding off the Padres but in 5th inning decided to take him why. I want an explanation because as a good coach that is not something you do.. bad call and he needs to explain himself or no one will ever like him again
Well you have to remove the players that batted under 220. They had 162 games to correct there swings and some had 324 games. Quit teaching “To ELEVATE THE BAT”and just connect with the Bat to the same plain of the Ball’s flight. Same goes to Pitchers that under achieve. Time to clean house with new BLOOD.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Roberts should be held accountable for all his horrible decisions in the post season these past years and present! One
60 game season world series championship* with all the talent he’s had. Is unacceptable!!
I totally agree with Dick M. Also, I think Taylor must be playing hurt to strike out as often as he has. JT might be aging out. The Dodgers should have played Rivera and brought up Outman to play instead of having Grillo uselessly sitting on the bench and never used.
Some changes obviously need to made. Belli and CT need to be traded, bullpen help should be the priority. Minor league outfielder James Outman should get first crack at centerfield and they should try to find a big right handed bat for left field. The Infield obviously Freddie at first, lux will move to shortstop. Here’s why, Trea Turner is not a playoff player and the money he wants is much. With the big money coming off the books it should be used for a leftfielder and a starting Pitcher. Third base should be Muncy, but he has to lose the big gut and lose weight. Second base should be prospect Vargas. Send him to winter League and learn the position. Starting pitching with Culichi,Gonzo and May that is a decent starting staff .the other two slots should be for a free agent signing or Kersh and young Micheal Grove. Tyler Anderson might be a One hit wonder or take a shot and give him be money. Well will see what happens. But with Friedman who knows.
Roberts is the Les Miles of MLB, put him on an avg team and he would not last a year. He has been gifted the most talented team in MLB for multiple years and only has 1 title to show for it! Fraudman should borrow Prellers blue prints!
Oh well, there goes the next 3+ years of Dodger championship hopes in a never-ending cycle of pamper-the-pitcher, re-tread reliever, lefty always against righty, home run or nothing, idiotic analytics and “money ball”.
Oh well, there goes the next 3+ years of Dodger championship hopes in a never-ending cycle of pamper-the-pitcher, re-tread reliever, lefty always against righty, home run or nothing, idiotic analytics and “money ball”.
Enter comedy to tragedy.
Dodgers will never win a WS again with Doc as manager. The man is made of Teflon, sad for Dodgers nation.
You have to remember something folks. The guys running the Dodgers are the same guys that were the architects of the Braves dynasty that won 14 straight division titles but only 1 WS crown. That shouldn’t give us a warm fuzzy for things changing. Secondly, the extended layoff had nothing to do with Dodgers failure. The Dodgers offense went MIA with about 10 days to go before end of season. Third, we can’t claim that the 2020 WS win is legitimate and in same breath say this isn’t because of the new format. Can’t have it both ways. The most depressing thing is that the FO seems oblivious to the fact that they are becoming the definition of insanity.
This club needs to take a fresh look at the guys who were season long members of the “below the Mendoza line” hitters. We all know their names and we all saw them striking out multiple times a game while Roberts kept waiting for them to “break out”. Obviously, they never did. We’ve got some kids in AAA that could have played better in this playoff season but the front office “didn’t think they were ready yet”. What? There were a number of guys on the playoff rooster who had showed no sign of being “ready yet” all season!
With no change in coaching and managing we’re going to see the same deal next year. Three or four guys regularly penciled in the lineup who are hitting below .200. Auto outs and the AAA talent sits on the shelf.
I think the guys running this outfit think taking a big risk is running around their desk while holding a pair of dull scissors.
I was once at a Dodgers Giants game at Candlestick park many years ago. Had some seats with my Giant fan friends right behind home plate down at field level. During batting practice Steve Garvey came up and started by blasting some home run balls into the stands, then he worked on hitting to the opposite field. The surprise was he spent most of his time in the box practicing bunting. Garvey bunting? Yep and sure enough during the game Tommy had him lay one down to advance the runner.
This new Dodger team – and Roberts – need to concentrate on moving runners along, playing small ball and not always following the darn analytics and swinging for the stands. Unfortunately, Roberts apathy towards small ball is evident and the results showed up in the San Diego fiasco.
Absent change I expect nothing would be different next year. You’d think the front office and Roberts would learn after all the post season failures.
WHY??????????????????
get rid of him fresh blood may be the answer ie Gallo, Bellinger in playoffs and established pitcher in clutch
The lack of hitting was the reason THE reason they lost. Put another way, the team ERA was 3.71 in the series. Not as good as the regular season but certainly decent. The team batting average was .227 and .147 with RISP. Ummm, that’s Dave Roberts’ fault? Why they lost isn’t rocket science. Baseball is the one major sport where the best team usually doesn’t win it all. This year wasn’t any different than normal. Anything can happen over the span of just a few games. I think Dave is an exceptional manager. “You are what your record says you are.”
They have already kept the looser 2 years too long, find some one new that knows what he is doing
We need to start a petition to convince the ownership to fire Fraudberts.
More than stupid decisions, Roberts’ does not motivate these guys. When they slump, they look like “dead men walking” and he plops on the bench and pouts! Get someone like Molina or Pujols who love baseball and encourages players!
You sound like you would’ve fired Bobby Cox or older Tommy Lasorda too. Roberts has the highest win percentage in history. What did you want him to do, walk up to the plate and talk to his hitters mid at bat like a mound visit?
No, just win more games in October by managing better.
As he should
When Robert’s is finally let go, after he can’t do anything with a less talented club, The question will be, “what took the front office so long?”
Im not a fan of his management skills. in fact taking out Anderson in the fifth inning when he was doing great was just one of his baffling calls. this year. taking us to the post season is great but dropping us on our heads when we get there. is another matter entirely.. he needs to own up to his fifth inning mistake that cost us that game. im sorry
Yep. Roberts is 1 for 10 in Series victories vs. being eliminated in the playoffs. His average is even below Taylor’s and Bellinger’s batting average!
I just suggest you of Dodgers board that we hire Mike Scioscia new manager next 2023. We have the opportunity to reach to World Series game in 2023, We hope Los Angeles Dodgers win World Series champion in 2023. Think of Blood Blue as blue boys!
Our fall during this 4 game series against the Padres can be explained with 2 answers – first, when you go 0-18 with runners in scoring postition, you will always lose, The 5 game “rest” worked against us and the momentum the Padres built up in first beating the Mets and then our dead bats killed us. Second, the pitching decisons made led to runs being scored against us. I believe the decison to make so many pitching changes including removing our starters when they were doing well is that we did not want “tired arms” in the staff and we didn’t want to injure their arms due to throwing so many pitches. So, we take Urias out after 5 innings (under 100 pitches; we take Anderson out after 5 innings (under 100 pitches) If they are throwing well and runs scored against them are minimal, why change a good thing.
Anderson had a shutout going! So we bring in a reliever (and we don’t know if he’s going to be on or off. Then the next inning we bring another reliever in (and we don’t know if he’s going to be on or off) AND we tell them we don’t want them to hurt their arm. Well, that logic is way off. How many of our pitchers were on the IL this year. If our reliever is ON, pitches under 12 pitches, gets the side out, leave him in to get the next 3 batters out. Why mess with a good thing. Roberts took so many of our pitchers that were spot on after 1 inning – many after having gotten 3 outs with under 12 pitches! What kind of logic is that? It’s time for a change in pitching strategies!
btw, #30 should have been retired for Maury Wills.