The Los Angeles Dodgers reached the postseason for a 12th consecutive year, with 11 of those berths coming by way of a National League West title. Within that, Dave Roberts has guided the Dodgers to playoffs in each of his nine seasons as manager.
Their 2024 postseason berth — and NL West title — came despite the Dodgers being decimated by injuries for most of the year. They not only overcame that factor to win the division, but did so with the best record in baseball that in turn guarantees the Dodgers home-field advantage through the World Series.
The Dodgers’ success stems from a combination of star power and excellent depth, the latter of which helped them withstand the absences of many key players.
The team also prioritizes the long-term health of its players, even if it comes at the expense of winning games in the short term. Some strategies may include removing a starting pitcher due to a high pitch count and avoiding using relievers who have thrown on consecutive days.
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior believes manager Dave Roberts and other skippers around the league have to balance the cost of winning games one day versus a week down the line and so on, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“That’s always the tug-of-war and beauty of our game,” Prior said. “It’s 162(-game season). It’s about winning today but not at the cost of winning games the next 10 days – versus football where you’re playing today and that’s all that matters.
“That’s the hard part that I think goes unnoticed with managers, all 30 of them. Do you push the envelope to win today if it comes at the cost of the next two or three days? Yeah, that win is important. But losing two or three in a row is not helpful if you’ve put yourself at a disadvantage. That’s the tough decisions of trying to manage your workload with your bullpen and even with your starters.”
MLB teams have the luxury of being overly cautious with their players due to the long 162-game season. This would be difficult to pull off in other sports like football, which have shorter schedules and thus more important games.
Roberts has been criticized for various in-game decisions throughout his tenure, but that comes with the territory of being a big league manager and he has remained committed to the Dodgers’ ethos.
Dave Roberts hopes to sign contract extension with Dodgers
Roberts is in the second season of a three-year contract extension that he signed with the Dodgers before the 2022 campaign.
Roberts recently said his focused was on winning the 2024 World Series, but did express a desire to continue managing the team for many years to come by signing a new contract extension.
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