Speaking from a press conference at Dodger Stadium earlier this week, Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman confirmed manager Dave Roberts will return for an eighth season as manager amid external pressure to part with him.
Friedman believes criticism of Roberts’ decision-making in the National League Division Series has been unfair and placed blame across the organization. “It’s us collectively trying to learn what we can from what has happened and putting ourselves in the best position to avoid it going forward,” Friedman said.
“I feel like the vast majority of the time if the best team has always won the World Series and this happened to be an example of not, then I think it’s easier to point fingers and isolate why.
“Some of it comes down to what happens in the crazy tournament that is the playoffs of baseball. It cuts both ways. It’s exhilarating and awesome when it works out, and it’s crushing when it doesn’t. I just don’t see the world in terms of pointing the finger and firing someone for those reasons.
“Now, I think as a group, if we’re not constantly trying to get better, even if we won it all this year, I think the mindset of always trying to improve what we do is shared among everyone we work with. Those are people I very much believe in figuring this out with together.”
Back in March, Roberts signed a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2025 season. After leading the Dodgers to a franchise-record 111 wins during the regular season, he became the first first NL manager in MLB history to make the playoffs in his first seven seasons.
Roberts’ record of 653-380 (.632) as Dodgers manager is good for the highest winning percentage of any skipper in MLB history (minimum 315 games). It’s bested only by Negro League managers Bullet Rogan, Vic Harris and Rube Foster.
Andrew Friedman: ‘Hottest team’ wins World Series, not the ‘best team’
With another postseason ending in heartbreak, Friedman acknowledged it’s not always the best team that wins the World Series. “I guess a different way to answer that, if you’re asking me if I think the best team wins the World Series every year, I would say no,” Friedman said.
“I think the hottest team wins the World Series every year, so it’s how to put us in the best position going into October to be the hottest team. In 2017, we went through that cold streak, we got hot and we rolled through the playoffs until the World Series.
“Each year has its own different narrative to it. I don’t believe that the best team wins the World Series every year.”
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