Although there is a never-ending debate about Dave Roberts’ ability as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and whether he should be fired or not, the organization has continued to stick by their leading figure.
Roberts has been with the Dodgers since he was hired in November 2015 as he now prepares to enter his ninth season as the team’s manager in 2024.
With Craig Counsell leaving the Milwaukee Brewers for the Chicago Cubs and a record annual salary of $8 million, Roberts became the longest-tenured manager with his current team in the National League. Counsell was previously hired by the Brewers in May 2015, giving him a few months of an edge over Roberts for that title.
The only MLB manager with a longer tenure is Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays. Cash began managing the Rays in 2015, one season before Roberts was hired.
Roberts is also tied with Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais, as both started with their current organization in the 2016 season.
As manager of the Dodgers, Roberts has led the club to an MLB-best 753-442 record. His win-loss percentage ranks fourth all-time in MLB history, bested only by Hall of Famer Bullet Rogan (.698 over five seasons), Vic Harris (.663 over 11 seasons) and Hall of Famer Rube Foster (.633 over seven seasons).
Roberts also ranks sixth all-time in postseason wins with 45, but he additionally is sixth as well with 39 losses. His .536 win percentage is seventh among active managers, but only Dusty Baker has managed more October baseball.
Under Roberts, the Dodgers have reached the postseason every season, giving him eight playoff appearances. In that stretch, he has won three NL pennants and one World Series.
Roberts has also been at the helm of seven NL West titles.
And under his direction the Dodgers have reached the 100-win mark five times under Roberts, and were on pace for that in 2020 when they set their highest single-season winning percentage at .717 but were limited to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, the 2022 Dodgers led by Roberts set the franchise win record with 111 victories and placed them second all-time for wins in a season by an NL team and tied for fourth in MLB history.
Only the 1906 Chicago Cubs (116 wins), 2001 Seattle Mariners (116) and 1998 Yankees (114) won more games, while the 1954 Cleveland Indians also won 111 games.
With 100 wins in 2023, the Dodgers also became the first team in MLB history to reach the century mark in four consecutive full seasons, and after 2022 they became the first club to reach 106 wins in three consecutive full seasons.
Despite the calls to fire Roberts, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman backed the skipper and confirmed he will manage the team moving forward.
The Dodgers previously signed Roberts to a three-year contract extension in March 2022 that runs through the 2025 season.
Dave Roberts snubbed in Manager of the Year voting
The yearly MLB Award finalists were announced on Monday, but Roberts was not a finalist for NL Manager of the Year. Instead, it was Coundsell, Skip Schumaker of the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves skipper Brian Snitker who finished as the three finalists.
Roberts won his first and only Manager of the Year award in 2016, his first season leading the Dodgers.
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