Dave Roberts is already considered one of the most successful managers in Los Angeles Dodger history despite being with the team for only nine seasons.
Since taking the helm, Roberts has led the Dodgers to the postseason in nine consecutive years. Included in that span are eight National League West titles, four pennants and two World Series championships.
Despite his success, Roberts has been subject to plenty of criticism for his in-game decisions. Roberts’ bullpen management was routinely denounced at the start of his managerial career, which many attributed to the team’s shortcomings.
One example of that was during the 2017 World Series, when Roberts used Brandon Morrow in all seven games. The right-hander’s effectiveness waned with each appearance, culminating with a disastrous performance in Game 5.
Morrow allowed four runs without retiring any of the four batters he faced en route to the Houston Astros defeating the Dodgers, 13-12, in extra innings.
But Roberts had a strong run in the 2020 World Series run, and the 2024 season may have been his best job yet as he seemingly made the correct decision every time.
“Yeah, I have evolved,” Roberts answered when asked if he has improved with managing the bullpen.
“I think that in any one particular moment, as it starts initially, speaking to the relievers, there’s a trust tree, guys you feel in the highest of leverage. And each moment you feel that that’s always the best option, for fear that if you go somewhere else or with another player and it doesn’t work out, you didn’t deploy your best option in that moment.
“That’s kind of the inner struggle that I think any manager has, and I’ve lived it. I think for me, experience, having gone down that road, having some successes but also some failures. I think I’ve learned from that. It’s not easy.
“It’s always good when your choice works out, whether it’s the process is right or the trust in a certain player is right. And when it doesn’t work out, you’ve got to sort of reassess and reevaluate if the process was right. I think that’s probably my biggest takeaway.”
With MLB teams looking for any edge they can find during the regular season, bullpen games have become more common over the years. The Dodgers have utilized this strategy several times under Roberts, who believes it is an effective way to win games.
“I think I’ve always felt that a bullpen game gives you a really good chance to prevent runs. There’s a cost afterward. You’re talking about regular-season games typically,” Roberts explained.
“The win-loss, the offense scoring matters too. But I think in a vacuum, bullpen games give you a chance to prevent runs, certainly. I still stand by that.”
Brandon Gomes praises Dave Roberts
The 2024 season was Roberts’ most challenging yet due to the plethora of injuries the Dodgers had to navigate.
General manager Brandon Gomes recently praised Roberts for the job he did as skipper given the difficult circumstances.
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