It was a great year for Los Angeles Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts. Roberts became the 3rd winningest coach in MLB postseason history, winning his second consecutive World Series and 3rd overall as LA’s manager. Roberts nearly made all the right moves this postseason, specifically in games 6 and 7 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. In an interview with legendary sportscaster Dan Patrick, Roberts revealed his toughest decision of the playoffs.
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Dodgers Dave Roberts Wasn’t Sold On Miguel Rojas At The Plate
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“Rojas is a defensive guy and… the numbers say there are other guys who can hit home runs, but it’s hard to come off the bench, and I trusted my players. You know, he made me look good; he deserved that moment. In the postseason, what I have learned is it’s not about the numbers; you have to trust your players. Ultimately, it is my job to not just know statistics, but the heartbeat of the player.”
Roberts admitted to Dan Patrick that in the past, Roberts did not trust his gut and relied solely on analytics, a major reason for the Dodgers’ shortcomings. However, Roberts has learned to trust his gut in big moments like this and decided to roll with his players. If Roberts did not trust his gut in that moment, he would have leaned on analytics and pulled Miguel Rojas in a move that likely would have cost the Dodgers the World Series. However, Roberts learned from his past mistakes and trusted his players to make the key play even if the numbers told him to pull Rojas in that moment.
Roberts has shown tremendous growth as a manager, and it has shown in these last two playoffs. Relying on his gut instead of just analytics has been a key component for the Dodgers winning consecutive World Series. Kudos to Dave Roberts for learning from his previous mistakes and growing as a manager, as the Dodgers needed Roberts’ improved decision-making to win these last two World Series.