Dave Roberts, Manager, Los Angeles Dodgers

Date of Birth: 5/31/1972
Birthplace: Okinawa, Japan
College: UCLA

Dave Roberts, manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was a top baseball player at UCLA. At the time of his graduation in 1995, he was the university's all time stolen base leader. After earning a degree in history, he was drafted by and signed with the Detroit Tigers in June, 1994. Four years later, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians. He played in the minor leagues from 1994 through most of 2001.

Roberts played in 41 games with the Indians in 1999, 19 games in 2000, and 15 games in 2001. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in December, 2001. He had his first full season in the major leagues in 2002, playing in 127 games with the Dodgers. He finished the season with a .277 batting average, 117 hits, 14 doubles, 45 stolen bases, and 34 RBIs.

In July, 2004, Roberts was traded to the Boston Red Sox but he didn't stay with them long. They traded him to the San Diego Padres in December, 2004. His best season was with the Padres in 2006 when he had career highs in games played (129), hits (146), triples (13), stolen bases (49), RBIs (44), and batting average (.293).

Roberts finished his major league playing career with the San Francisco Giants. He signed with them in December, 2006, and stayed with them until his release in March, 2009. He retired as a player in May, 2009.

Career batting statistics for Roberts from 1999 through 2008 include:

• 832 games played
• 721 hits
• 95 doubles
• 53 triples
• 243 stolen bases
• 213 RBIs
• 362 strikeouts to 307 walks
• .266 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Roberts as an outfielder include:

• 259 games played in left field, 514 games played in center field, 17 games played in right field
• 1,540 putouts
• 14 errors

After retiring as a player, Roberts became an analyst and commentator for NESN in 2009. In October, 2010, he was hired as the Padres' first base coach. He stayed in that position until 2014, when he was switched to the team's bench coach. On November 23, 2015, he was named the Dodgers' manager for 2016.

Roberts led the Dodgers to the playoffs in 2016 despite the team losing most of its starting rotation to the DL during the season. Roberts and the Dodgers finished the season in first place in the National League West division with a 91 to 71 record. They then went on to defeat the Washington Nationals in the NL Division series in five games. They lost the NL Championship series to the Chicago Cubs in six games.

Roberts won the NL Manager of the Year award for his leadership of the Dodgers in 2016.

Roberts led the Dodgers to 104 wins and 58 losses in 2017. They swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in three games in the NLDS. They then defeated the Cubs in five games in the NLCS. They faced the Houston Astros in the World Series, and after seven hard fought games, lost the series.

The Dodgers and Roberts again went to the World Series in 2018. They won the NL West division title with 92 wins and 71 losses. They defeated the Atlanta Braves in four games in the NLDS and the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games in the NLCS. They again lost the World Series, this time to the Boston Red Sox in five games.

In 2019, the Dodgers again won Thursday NL West division title with 106 wins and 56 losses (best record in the National League and second best in MLB). However, this time they didn't advance past the NLDS, losing the series to the Nationals in five games.

In the shortened 2020 season, Roberts led the Dodgers to their first World Series since 1988. They led the NL West division with 43 wins and 17 losses. They defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in two games in the NL Wild Card Series, then defeated the San Diego Padres in the NL Championship Series in three games, and won the NL pennant by defeating the Atlanta Braves in seven games. They won the World Series over the Tampa Bay Rays in six games.

The Dodgers and Roberts again had a strong season in 2021, finishing in second place in the NL West division by one game less than the San Francisco Giants. They had 106 wins and 56 losses. They won the Wild Card game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Then they beat the Giants in five games in the NL Division series. They lost the NL Championship series to the Atlanta Braves in six games.

Roberts record in seven years as manager of the Dodgers is 542 wins and 330 losses.

Personal Life

Roberts and his wife Tricia were married in 1997. They have two children.

Roberts and his wife are partners in the Red Stitch Winery located in Cardiff, California.

Roberts was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in March, 2010. He was declared cancer-free in June, 2011.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Dave Roberts
Baseball Reference - Dave Roberts