Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has one National League Manager of the Year Award to his name despite guiding the team to high levels of success. It came during his first season as a manager in 2016, as he led the Dodgers to first place in the NL West with a 91-71 record.
Roberts has yet to win another award in the years since despite plenty of excellent managerial performances. Because the Dodgers’ roster is loaded with talented each season, that makes Roberts’ leadership less of a factor in the success of the team in the eyes of the voters.
In 2025, not only was Roberts not a finalist, but he didn’t garner any votes.
Despite what the outside perception may be, his job entails more than just putting writing names down in a lineup. His people skills and leadership in the clubhouse are his best attributes as a manager.
That is reflected in his ability to run a tight ship. During an appearance on “Foul Territory,” Max Muncy explained the Dodgers are able to have difficult discussions without it becoming an argument caught on camera in large part because of the culture Roberts has helped foster:
“I think it’s an all-the-above thing. Doc has always had his finger on the pulse in the clubhouse. He knows exactly what’s going on with people, he knows who he can talk to certain ways. Everyone is different. There’s some guys that need to get chewed out a little bit, and there’s other guys you need to coddle them a little bit. Sometimes you have to go outside the norm, but Doc always knows who he can talk to and how he can approach certain ways, what he needs to do to get the most out of players.”
While Roberts doesn’t receive the recognition he deserves during awards season, the entire Dodgers organization knows how important he is to their operation.
It is why they rewarded him with a record-breaking contract extension prior to the start of the 2025 season.
Dave Roberts ‘truly cares’ about Dodgers
Another one of Roberts’ strengths is that he is well liked by his players and across the league. He is widely regarded as one of the most-liked managers in baseball.
Freddie Freeman recently praised Roberts for truly caring about his players and keeping them on top of their game.
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