The 2023 season is over. For the Dodgers fans, it might be an unsatisfying season. The team won 100 games during the regular season. However, in the NLDS, the Dodgers only scored 6 runs, 2 each game, and they were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers again fell short in the postseason and again, some fans are talking about Dave Roberts’ future.
Some people don’t like some of his decisions in the postseason. Some people think he’s a good manager. Well, before making a judgment. Let’s use the numbers to tell.
Dave Roberts was named manager of the Dodgers on November 23, 2015. From 2016 to 2023, under his leadership, the Dodgers won 753 games and took 442 losses. The winning percentage of the Dodgers over these 8 seasons is .630. Moreover, there are 5 times that the team won at least 100 games in a single season. Furthermore, the Dodgers became the first team to win at least 100 games in 4 straight full seasons.
However, in the postseason, the Dodgers lost to the division rivals two straight years. Last season, the Dodgers lost to the Padres in the NLDS and this season, the Dodgers were beaten by the Diamondbacks. But, taking a closer look at the Dodgers’ record in the postseason, from 2016 to 2023, the Dodgers’ winning percentage in the postseason is over .530. Over these 8 postseasons, the Dodgers won 45 games and lost 39 times. The most important thing is, of course, they won the World Series title in 2020. Additionally, the Dodgers won 3 NL pennants.
Well, looking at Dave Roberts’ managerial records over these 8 seasons, it’s actually not bad. Why?
Let’s take a look at another manager who had a great career. Dusty Baker announced his retirement at the end of October. In his managerial career, he used to manage 5 teams. In total, as a skipper, he led the teams to win 2183 games and lost 1862 times. Baker had a winning percentage of .540 as a manager. All the 5 teams he managed used to play October baseball. In the postseason, Baker had 57 wins and 51 losses. He led the Giants to win the NL pennant in 2002 and led the Astros to win 2 AL pennants. The most important thing is that he led the Astros to win the World Series title in 2022. So, Baker won 3 pennants and 1 WS title.
When we look at the managerial stats, Dave Roberts has a higher winning percentage than Dusty Baker does. In the postseason, Roberts’ winning percentage is slightly higher than Baker’s winning percentage. Nonetheless, it’s worth mentioning that during Baker’s 4 seasons as Astros skipper, his winning percentage was .642 in the postseason. Hence, before joining the Astros, Baker’s winning percentage was below .500 in the postseason. Baker’s career as a manager was a good one. Looking at Dave Roberts, by far, his managerial career is pretty good. Nevertheless, losing in the NLDS for 2 straight seasons might not be ideal and the next season, it will be important to see whether the team will learn from the mistakes. But, first thing first, the Dodgers will have to secure a postseason berth first.
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