October 10th, 2020 at 8:00 am 
by 0799291000348 * * *
“All managers are losers, they are the most expendable pieces of furniture on the face of the Earth.” – Ted Williams
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Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame outfielder Ted Williams was notoriously outspoken and often with over-the-top hyperbole. But fundamentally, he wasn’t wrong – the performance of the rostered players overwhelmingly determines a managers’ success.
New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel would not have achieved baseball immortality in the sacred Halls of Cooperstown without players like Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Yogi Berra. Remove Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Roy Campanella, Don Drysdale, and Sandy Koufax from the Dodgers’ rosters, and Walter Alston is just another guy who briefly managed the team.
Dave Roberts has had five hugely successful regular seasons as the Dodgers manager. His .614 winning rate (.615 for Dodgers) is only surpassed by that of legendary Hall of Fame manager Joe McCarthy (Cubs, Yankees, and Red Sox), and current Yankees manager Aaron Boone (.615). Alston is number 27 on the list (.558), and Tommy Lasorda sits at number 83 (.526). If not for the Houston Astros confirmed cheating conspiracy, Roberts would likely have a World Championship added to his resume for 2017.
But Roberts has his fair share of critics for previous postseason gaffes, more specifically with his in-game pitching decisions: leaving pitchers in too long, replacing other pitchers too soon, and overusing other pitchers. The memories of overusing Brandon Morrow (2017), the Ryan Madson-for-Rich Hill decision (2018), and overextending Joe Kelly (2019) are more than enough to raise the blood pressure levels of most Dodgers fans to dangerous levels.
The 2020 Wild Card Series and subsequent Division Championship Series saw a different Dave Roberts; one who deftly used his pitching staff and effectively implemented game plans that disposed of the Milwaukee Brewers in back-to-back games, and swept the San Diego Padres right out of the postseason.
(Video capture courtesy of LA Dodgers)
While television baseball analysts heaped praise upon the managerial abilities of the Brewers Craig Counsell, it was Roberts who consistently made the right decisions. And Roberts simply out managed the Padres manager Jayce Tingler with better series strategies and in-game tactics.
Give Dave Roberts a standing ovation. He clearly deserves the accolades and recognition.
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GREAT piece, Jesse!
Gotta admit, I let out a string of explatives when Doc pulled May after a very effective first inning. But I was indeed applauding him by the 5th
I was a bit puzzled when he pulled May after 1 inning although May was a bit “wild”… He threw 4 consecutive balls to Tatis (some missed by a lot) and after Tatis base stealing blunder he went 3-1 on Machado…
Doc’s prediction on a Will Smith breakthrough were spot on however… Smoltz mentioned that comment before Smith first AB…
I am very impressed with Smith. His barrels per swing, and percentage of hard hit balls are second only to Seager on the Dodgers. Even when he is in a “slump” he hits the ball hard, but right at fielders. And, he walks as often as he strikes out. He is so athletic, is a plus runner, and has played on the infield in the minors, I think we may see a position change — possibly as soon as next season. Mookie Betts has helped Austin Barnes to be an average hitter (for a catcher), if Keibert Ruiz is ready to share catching duties then the Dodgers could move Smith, perhaps to third base where his quickness and strong arm would play well defensively.
It is refreshing to see someone post something positive about Dave Roberts for once. No one will ever forget game 5 of the division series last year, but the cohesion and motivation of this year’s squad is nothing short of incredible. The long-term re-evaluation of his work can begin once he wins the World Series this year. If he doesn’t: the naysayers and the doubts will persist.