Dave Roberts joins MLB competition committee

LOS ANGELES — At the MLB owners meetings in New York on Thursday, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced the revised competition committee, a 16-person panel which includes Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

The group will assist the commissioner in on-field matters, things like pace of play and other ideas to potentially enhance the game.

Roberts is one of four managers in the group, along with Joe Girardi of the Yankees, Mike Matheny of the Cardinals, and Buck Showalter of the Orioles.

The group also includes front office executives -- Sandy Anderson of the Mets, Theo Epstein of the Cubs, Chris Antonetti of the Indians, Jerry Dipoto of the Mariners, and Mark Shapiro of the Blue Jays — as well as ownership types — Pirates president Frank Coonelly, Rangers co-chairman Ray Davis, Nationals owner Mark Lerner, Marlins president and former Survivor contestant David Samson, and Red Sox chairman Tom Werner — plus a pair of Hall of Fame players in Roberto Alomar and John Smoltz.

“They asked me, and I’m interested in the good of the game,” Roberts said. “When baseball asks me to be a part of a committee full of notable people who I respect in the game, obviously I jumped at the opportunity.”

Roberts said the group will occasionally meet during the season via conference call to discuss ideas to better the game.

“The competition committee includes some of the best minds in our game, from a variety of positions and perspectives,” Manfred said Thursday. “The conversations with this group will be rooted in respect for the qualities that make baseball unique and a willingness to consider ways in which we can make the game even better.”