Is Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts on a scorching-hot seat?
After a tough 6-5 loss to San Diego in Game 3, the Dodgers find themselves one game from elimination. The longtime LA skipper would appear to have no worries pertaining to losing his job. Since taking over in 2016, Roberts has led the franchise to NL West Division Titles in eight of the last nine years. This includes three World Series appearances and one World Series Title in 2020. He has over a 62-percent winning percentage, notching 851 career wins compared to 507 career losses. Suffice it to say, but Roberts is one of the most winning managers in the past century of professional baseball.
However, the Dodgers are a uniquely positioned franchise. Next to the New York Yankees, there’s not a more prestigious organization in the sport. When factoring in the money spent by ownership — which exceeded a billion dollars this past offseason — winning at the highest level is most important.
Should the Dodgers lose to the Padres, it’ll be the third straight year in which a division opponent bounces LA in the divisional round. By all accounts, Roberts is a spectacular human. His players love him, and he loves his players with ferocity. At the same time, the fondness for his veterans has been somewhat called into question. Instead of pivoting off of the veterans in specific situations, Roberts has shown a penchant for riding with them — sometimes recklessly. His usage of the bullpen often gets called into question.
Not only that, but his warm, jovial demeanor has rubbed some the wrong way when wanting the Dodgers to show a bit more edge/passion on the field. Often the team will take after the personality of his manager, and in this case, it seems to be quite apt whether for better or worse.
Also, Roberts has been the manager for nearly a decade. It could be a case of the team needing to hear a new voice in the clubhouse — perhaps one with a bit more intensity.
Either way, this is a tough job. The expectations are always going to be sky-high. Along with that, the front office reportedly is quite involved in the decision-making process. Some managers can’t handle that hands-on approach very well. Roberts doesn’t deserve to lose his job. At the same time, he might be the de facto sacrificial lamb if the Dodgers yet again underachieve.
Should that occur, all baseball eyes will be on LA and what it does to fill the position.
