UCLA Baseball Alum Dave Roberts Named NL Manager of the Year

UCLA Baseball star Dave Roberts was named the National League Manager of the Year in his first season as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dave Roberts ably took the reins from Don Mattingly and guided the Dodgers to their fourth consecutive NL West division title and into the National League Championship Series against the eventual champion Chicago Cubs.

Roberts maintained this level of success despite seeing a record 28 different players placed on the disabled list.

Most notably, all-world ace, future hall-of-famer, and arguably the best pitcher in baseball Clayton Kershaw missed all of July and August with a back injury. Roberts managed this reduced rotation, folded in trade acquisitions, and shuffled the Dodgers’ bullpen to the tune of a 40-27 record in Kershaw’s absence.

Roberts was a walk-on outfielder for the Bruins in the Class of ’95, and he left school as the Bruins’ all-time stolen base leader. In the Major Leagues, Roberts played for a number of teams, including the Dodgers, but is most recognized for his pivotal 2004 playoff performance with the Boston Red Sox. Roberts retired as a San Francisco Giant in 2008.

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Other teams are taking note of the benefits of having a Bruin alum as a manager. Earlier this month, the Arizona Diamondbacks named former UCLA infielder Torey Lovullo (1987) as the team’s ninth manager.