Love him or hate him, Roberts is not the issue

Every offseason after what is becoming the inevitable postseason meltdown, certain Dodger fans begin to talk about what needs to change. Often times, that conversation ends in getting rid of Dave Roberts.

I’m here to tell you, don’t get caught up in that conversation.

Since being hired by the Dodgers in 2016, Roberts has consistently put the Dodgers in positions to win. In his seven seasons as manager, the Dodgers have reached the NLCS five times, advancing to the World Series three times. Prior to his arrival, Los Angeles had not seen the World Series since 1988 and had only played in three NLCS’s since then.

Yes, when you are coaching a team that rosters superstars, Cy Young award winners and multiple MVPs, you are going to win a lot. It’s no surprise that Dave has had the success that he has. That being said, if you choose to let him go due to the lack of postseason success, who do you hire? Who on the open market is a better fit, or will have more success, than Dave Roberts?

If Houston is not stealing signs in 2017, Roberts would have now led the Dodgers to two rings in seven years. That’s really tough to do. The Dodgers’ only ring in Roberts’ tenure came in a shortened season, but the ring is legitimate. Anyone trying to but an asterisk next to that title or refer to it as a “Mickey Mouse ring” needs to realize that everyone was playing under the same set of rules. Everyone played the same amount of games under the same conditions.

Year in and year out, the Dodgers are at the top of the league and have a chance to compete for a World Series title. There are not many fans around the league that can say that about their team. Dave plays a major part in that.

At a certain point, it is on the players on the field to succeed. Dave was not standing at the plate in the NLDS struggling to drive runners in. He was not on the mound with a two run lead in the seventh inning of an elimination game giving up hit after hit. That is not his job. His job is to put his players in favorable positions and he does that.