Despite guiding the Los Angeles Dodgers to a franchise record 106 wins, Dave Roberts was not among the finalists for 2019 National League Manager of the Year. The trio instead comprised of Craig Counsell of the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt, and the Atlanta Braves’ Brian Snitker.
Shildt was named NL Manager of the Year, receiving 10 first-place votes and 95 overall points. He’s the first Manager of the Year Award winner who did not play on the professional level and the eighth to never have played in the Majors.
Counsell garnered the most first-place votes (13), making it just the second time a Manager of the Year winner did not lead in that category.
Meanwhile, Roberts received four first-place votes, one for second place and appeared third on two ballots. His 25 overall points amounted to placing fourth in Manager of the Year voting, ahead of the Washington Nationals’ Dave Martinez (15 points).
Roberts won Manager of the Year in 2016 as a rookie skipper, finished second to the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Torey Lovullo the following season, and placed sixth in voting last year.
Roberts is 393-256 and led the Dodgers to the postseason in each of his four seasons at the helm. He joined Tommy Lasorda (1977) as the only rookie managers in Dodgers franchise history to win the NL West, and Roberts is the first in MLB history to lead his team to division titles in each of his first four seasons as manager.
He additionally has been part of the franchise extending their record streak of NL West titles to seven, and making back-to-back appearances in the World Series. The Dodgers’ trip to the Fall Classic in 2017 was their first since 1988.
Prior to Roberts being hired, the Dodgers had never won three consecutive division titles in franchise history. In 2016 they became the first team to win the NL West in four consecutive seasons since the Divisional Era began in 1969 — a record of course that’s now been extended to seven.
Overall, the Dodgers’ streak trails only the Braves (14) and New York Yankees (nine) for most consecutive division titles since 1969.
In 2015 the Dodgers reached the postseason for a third consecutive year, which set a franchise record that also is now up to seven years. Meanwhile, the 2019 Dodgers became the fastest team in L.A. franchise history to clinch the division by both date and games played.
They did so in the 146th game of the season, which bested the 1977 club that wrapped up the division in their 151st game. The 2013 Dodgers memorably clinched the NL West at Chase Field on Sept. 19, which before this season held as the earliest date during the current seven-year reign.
Additionally, this year’s Dodgers finished off the 2019 NL West crown by the largest margin in franchise history with an 18-game lead in the division. The previous franchise mark in a clinching game was held by the 1955 team that won the NL by 13.5 games and went on to win the World Series as well.
Although Roberts’ tenure as manager has not included a World Series win up to this point, it’s been one of the more successful careers thus far. His’ 381 wins rank eighth all-time in franchise history, and he’s poised to surpass Jim Tracy (427 wins) and Mattingly (446) next season.
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