Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers was named the 2016 National League Manager of the Year by Sporting News, the publication announced Monday. Boston Red Sox skipper Terry Francona was named American League Manager of the Year.
The awards were voted upon by 29 Major League managers. With seven votes, Roberts finished ahead of Washington’s Dusty Baker (three votes), Chicago’s Joe Maddon (three) and New York’s Terry Collins (one).
Roberts joins Leo Durocher (1939) and Walt Alston (1955, 1959, 1963) as Dodgers managers to be named Manager of the Year by Sporting News. The publication has handed out the honor since 1936.
“Obviously, the No. 1 goal is to play in the World Series, and we came up short,” Roberts said Monday.
“To get recognized is a great honor, but I think it’s something that for me, is a team award. I can’t tell you how much support I had in my first year. The title says ‘Manager of the Year,’ but it’s a team and organization award.”
While the Dodgers’ season ended in disappointment, Roberts made significant strides during his rookie year and guided the club to an unprecedented fourth consecutive NL West title.
Los Angeles overcame an eight-game deficit to the San Francisco Giants in the division standings despite setting a Major League record with 28 different players put on the disabled list. The constant injuries forced Roberts to work with a patchwork rotation and rely heavily on the bullpen.
It’s a formula that flew in the face of convention yet yielded positive results. That included Clayton Kershaw’s back injury, which was perhaps the turning point in the season.
The Dodgers had struggled up to that point in the season (43-37), but went on an impressive run without their ace (48-34). Roberts established a strong and positive clubhouse culture that undeniably played a role in the Dodgers overcoming their historic number of injuries.
Los Angeles came from behind against the Washington Nationals in the NL Division Series, winning Game 5 on the road, but were unable to make up for some of their shortcomings in the NL Championship Series.
The trip to the NLCS was their second since 2013, when the Dodgers were eliminated in six games by the St. Louis Cardinals.
