The Los Angeles Dodgers enjoyed a historic 2017 season that featured an MLB-best 104 victories and a World Series appearance for the franchise for the first time since 1988. While the ultimate goal of winning the Fall Classic wasn’t accomplished, there were many positives to take away from the year.
The club received contributions from a plethora of players throughout the year, from veterans to rookies, and have most of its core returning for the 2018 season and beyond.
In a media session during the Winter Meetings, Roberts explained that while losing in the World Series hurt, he’s confident that the Dodgers will return to the field with a vengeance in 2018.
“Gosh, I don’t know if you ever get over it,” Roberts said of falling short to the Houston Astros. “Especially you go to Game 7, and a lot of things could have been different, a pitch here, a pitch there, maybe change the outcome.
“But you still go through your mind and what you could have done possibly different to potentially influence it, but at the end of the day, it is what it is, and you learn from it.
“You’ve got to get back up to the top of the mountain. It is good knowing that we have a lot of guys that have been part of some big games in the last few years, some very meaningful games, and there’s a lot of value in that. So I’d argue that our guys are as hungry as anybody in all of baseball to be that close. We’ll be right there in the mix again.”
Earlier this offseason, Kenley Jansen echoed Roberts’ sentiments and vowed that the club would come back stronger next season.
Under Roberts, the Dodgers have reached the National League Championship in two consecutive seasons while additionally increasing its regular-season win total each year. He earned NL Manager of the Year honors in 2016 and finished as the runner-up this season.
