The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 2024 season as strong favorites to win the World Series, but by no means had an easy path to doing so.
The Dodgers faced adversity all year due to the plethora of injuries that piled up, particularly in their starting rotation. They had to navigate multiple bullpen games in the postseason, which required manager Dave Roberts to make more key decisions than usual.
Max Muncy believes Roberts did an excellent job given the circumstances and hopes he quieted all of his past critics, via the “Foul Territory” show:
“I hope it silences some of that. I’ve always loved Doc and always thought he’s done a great job. The way he manages is so unique in that he’s legitimately having conversations with everyone in that clubhouse, knowing exactly how they’re feeling, knowing exactly what’s going on behind the scenes, and that’s how he’s making decisions.
“I know some people will always say, ‘Well why didn’t you bring in this guy in this situation?’ Well there’s a reason why he didn’t do it. Maybe he had thrown a bunch that week, or maybe his kid was sick at home, or maybe his wife wasn’t feeling good and he’s having to pick up the slack. There are any number of reasons Doc is making these decisions, and almost none of it is based on analytics or all this other stuff that everyone says it is.
“When he gets asked after the game, Doc will never, ever, ever say that’s why he made that decision. He takes it to the grave with him and he basically just wears all the heat when those decisions don’t work out because of why he made them. And he’s never making them based on something stupid. He’s making it based on having a conversation with that player that day, that week, leading up to that situation. I’ve always thought he’s done an unbelievable job and hopefully he can rest easy that most likely no one is going to wear a number 30 Dodger jersey ever again.”
As Muncy noted, most of Roberts’ decisions are based on private conversations with players as opposed to the common perception of solely relying on analytics or strict instruction from the Dodgers front office.
Roberts is widely considered one of the most player-friendly managers in baseball, and Muncy’s comments further reiterate that.
Max Muncy: Dodgers will retire No. 30 for Dave Roberts
Muncy further believes that Roberts’ legacy was cemented after leading the Dodgers to a World Series title this year and it will lead to the franchise retiring his No. 30 jersey.
Roberts is currently fourth in wins among all-time Dodgers managers with 851. He has led the team to the playoffs in all nine of his seasons as manager, including four National League pennants and two World Series championships.
Roberts is entering the final year of his contract, but all indications are that he will sign a long-term extension with the Dodgers.
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