Dodgers: Dave Roberts Finishes Second in NL Manager of the Year Voting

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts comes up just short of winning back-to-back NL Manager of the Year awards.

In only his second season as the Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts has managed to finish in the top 3 for the Manager of the Year Award each year. Roberts came in second place behind Arizona Diamondbacks manager, Torey Lovullo.

Dave Roberts received five first-place votes, eight second-place votes, and six third-place votes, accumulating 55 points. Lovullo received 18 first-place votes and five second-place votes, and six third-place votes collecting 111 points. Dave Roberts was trying to become the first manager to win consecutive Manager of the Year Awards since Bobby Cox did so back in 2004 and 2005.

Dave Roberts led the Dodgers to a 104-58 record (.642 winning percentage), which was tied for the second-most wins in franchise history. The Dodgers were a considerable threat to challenge the 116 regular season win record set by the 2001 Seattle Mariners but ultimately came up short after a disappointing close to the regular season.

Roberts led the Dodgers through an incredible 56-11 (.836), 67 game stretch back June through late August. That stretch was better than the franchise 42-8 record they set back in 2013. The club also went through a stretch of not losing a series since the first week of June and ran away with their 5th consecutive division title by 11 games. Dave Roberts was able to lead the Dodgers to the most wins in the MLB despite missing more than 20 games from Clayton Kershaw. The club was 19-4 without Kershaw this season.

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Dave Roberts has compiled 195 wins in his first two seasons as the Dodgers manager, which is tied for the 4th most by any manager in his first two seasons with a team.

Roberts has an uncanny relationship with all of his players. As a young manager, Doc has created a positive clubhouse environment between a mixture of young prospects and veteran players. Every game fans could witness the continuity the team had, and it showed that players bought into Roberts’ managing style. Roberts embraces the ‘next man up’ mentality and doesn’t steer away from difficult decisions.

The fact that Dave Roberts came up short is a bit disappointing. Generally speaking, if your team finishes with the best record in baseball, that tends to mean you’re the manager of the year. But that’s not the case this season.

Torey Lovullo is certainly a worthy winner. He led the Diamondbacks back to the postseason after a failed 2016 despite spending a lot of money in the 2015 off-season. The Diamondbacks had the third best record in the National League. The Dbacks had the second best run differential only behind the Dodgers at +153.

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There’s no reason for Dave Roberts to hang his head. Roberts led the Dodgers to an incredible season and their first World Series since 1988. He’s the perfect manager for this Dodger ballclub. He will no doubt continue to find himself in the Manager of the Year conversations. Congrats on a great season, Doc!