Time for a New Manager?
You all know that I have had Dave Roberts back since he became the Dodgers’ Manager. Many of you have blamed Dodger’s failures on Roberts – I have put it on the players. Doc is not perfect and has made mistakes, but it is up to the players to execute. Plain and Simple! Let me…
You all know that I have had Dave Roberts back since he became the Dodgers’ Manager. Many of you have blamed Dodger’s failures on Roberts – I have put it on the players. Doc is not perfect and has made mistakes, but it is up to the players to execute. Plain and Simple! Let me preface this with “Managers Have a Shelf Life.” It probably used to be a lot longer than it is now. There comes a point whereby a manager’s voice becomes just “background noise.” There is a point where the players simply tune it out.
Many fans have wanted to fire Dave Roberts for a while now. Some because they do not like his decision-making process, some because he is not a “Real Dodger” and others simply because they simply don’t like him. Personally, I have never wanted Doc fired… until now.
I have no fault with most of his decisions. Well, occasionally, I wonder about some decisions, but what do you expect? That comes with the territory. Dave Roberts is a good man. He is an upright man. Dave Roberts is an underdog… I like that.
Dave and I disagree on politics….and that is OK. Believe it or not, I have lots of Democratic friends (there are also a similar number who hate me – that is their problem… not mine). I have championed Dave Roberts for seven years now. I can’t do it anymore! I really can’t! For the initiated, politics are opinions, not facts. If you think otherwise, you are dumber than a bag of hammers.
But, this is not about politics. It is about the Dodgers. Dave Roberts is even-keeled. Dave Roberts does not get overly excited or worked up. Dave Roberts is a player’s manager. He is laid back and he does not apply pressure to the players. That may have worked for a while, but it ain’t working now.
The Dodgers need a new manager. Doc’s shelf life has expired! He was never really a Dodger anyway! Thank you for your service, Dave Roberts, but it’s over.
You have to let go and Andrew Friedman needs to name an ex-Dodger as the manager. This is really hard, Dave… you are a good man. You are almost the face of the Dodgers… but you are not the Dodgers! This team is playing below expectations. Dave Roberts is a player’s manager, but it’s over! The players need to be held accountable. The Dodger’s lineup is composed of Millionaires… from Mookie Betts, to Justin Turner to Cody Bellinger. We have seen this movie too many times: where everyone hits or no one hits.
Who becomes the Manager?
The individual I am recommending may be the long-term solution. Maybe Chase Utley or Justin Turner could be the long-term solution, but right about now, the Dodgers need a “Kirk Gibson-Type-Solution. They need someone who can light a fire, inspire, push, and maybe even move a player out of their comfort zone. It’s not Mike Scoiscia or Joe Madden either. It’s a man who is a lifetime Dodger. The Dodgers are the only organization he has been involved with in his 50 years on the planet. Travis Barbary is 5′ 9” and 180 and his stocky build is that of a ctacher. Catcher Travis Barbary was undrafted out of the University of Virginia and started his professional playing career with the Ohio Valley Redcoats of the fledgling Frontier League in 1993. He was picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 1994 where he hit .178 with 3 2B in 45 AB for the Great Falls Dodgers.
It was decided then and there, that Travis was not MLB material, and his playing career ended. Barbary served as the pitching and catching coach for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League in 1995. In 1996 and 1997, Barbary was a coach for the Savannah Sand Gnats. From 1998-2001, he was the bullpen catcher for the Dodgers. In 2002 he was the hitting coach for the South Georgia Waves.
Barbary was the manager of the Ogden Raptors in 2003-2004. He was manager of the Columbus Catfish of the South Atlantic League in 2005 and 2006. In 2007-2018 Barbary was the Minor League Catching Coordinator for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was scheduled to manage the Oklahoma City Dodgers in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19. Barbary did return to manage Oklahoma City again in 2021 and is currently OKC’s Manager.
Here is a quick interview with Travis when he first took over at OKC.
Players seems to respect and enjoy playing for Travis and I think the fact he bleeds Dodger Blue is nothing but a plus. When you do the same thing over and over again and expect different results, that is the definition of insanity. I understand that a manager managers and players play, but sometimes change is good. Sometimes change is needed. I think this is one of those times. It’s just my opinion and I will not be fixated on it if it doesn’t happen… but I think it is needed.
Disclaimer: None of this will likely happen… but I tried!
Future Dodger Notes & News
- Mitch White pitched 5.2 hitless innings (he walked 2) and struck out 6. I think he wants a spot in that Dodger Rotation.
- Garrett Cleavinger pitched 1 inning and dropped his ERA to 2.40. In 25 IP at OKC he has struck out 25 and walked 9. He has recently been cutting down on the walks.
- Miguel Vargas hit a 2-Run HR (his 10th).
- Mike Busch Doubled and still is playing LF.
- Leonal Valera was 2-4 (.379 BA) playing 3B for Tulsa.
- Gavin Stone proved to be a mere mortal yesterday as he pitch 4 innings, allowed 7 hits and 4 runs to go with 3 K’s and 2 BB.
- Diego Cartaya was 2-4 with 2 RBI and a BB. He is OPS’ing 1.003 at Great Lakes.
- Kendall Williams saw his ERA drop to 3.24 as he pitched 3 innings, allowing 1 hit, 0 Runs and striking out 8 while walking no one.
- Cole Percival looks more and more like a middle reliever as he went 1.1 innings, allowing 1 hit and striking out 2.
- Damon Keith CF was 2-5 and is still hitting .306.
- Ronan Kopp (2.63 ERA) pitched 3 innings, allowing just 1 hit 1 BB while striking out 3.
- Nelson Quiroz – C was 4-6 with 3 HR and 6 RBI’s. In his minor league career he has hit 4 HR – 3 yesterday!
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Discussion (80)
Disagree, not disagreeable
He won’t be fired unless the team seriously, seriously underachieves – like the Padres implosion last year.
Part of the difficulty is that he’s an extension of the front office. He’s a Company Man. He’s an effective PR spokesman, which is part of his job. They collaborate and are on the same page with respect to the overall season-long strategy. No, I don’t think the front office dictates lineups, but I’m sure there is constant feedback about stats and match-ups from the analytics dept. Everything is sort of intertwined – front office, analytics, manager, so firing the manager isn’t like it was with Steinbrenner and Billy Martin.
Scioscia would be the absolute worst manager imaginable in this organization. He ran himself out of Anaheim in part because he told the GM and his sabremetric garbage to go eff himself and went directly to Moreno to let him manage is old school way. He can’t manage today’s game.
I almost thing underachieving early in the season is part of the design. Let the mistakes happen now, work through things so the team peaks at the end of the season – so I think he takes his foot off the gas a little.
The problem with this approach is that a team can forget how to be hungry. You can learn how to be complacent.
I have said the same for a few years now. Dave is a great guy, but not the best manager. It is time for an upgrade!
Wow Mark. That was a unexpected turnaround for you. We all know that many of the players are underachieving right now. I mentioned yesterday that the Dodgers seem to be sleep walking and/or lacking passion right now. And, that they needed a player (or manager) to get into players’ faces and shake things up. The current team is full of nice, professional, but boring personalities. Isn’t this one of Roberts strengths? Too cheerlead, back slap, and defend his players with nonsensical explanations when they fail to execute. He is apparently failing to motivate the players. Most of the players are very talented, highly paid athletes who shouldn’t need motivation. But, in fact, most players to do need someone to motivate regardless of their talent and pay.
Most of us agree that Roberts is a fair to poor field manager. The front office didn’t care because they were going to make the lineup and potential pitching assignments before the game. They wanted Roberts to pacify the players on why they wouldn’t play after they had gotten 4 hits the night before in order to play a person that statistically had a 10% of doing something they had done back two seasons ago or something like that (sarcasm). Roberts was there after the game to explain or bullshit away moves that I believe were made by the front office. HIs postgame interviews were embarrassing at best.
So, the complaints about Roberts are nothing new around here. Mark’s opinion is new though. Not that that makes any difference. Roberts will not be fired anytime soon. And the bottom line is the players need to start performing at a level they are capable of and in a more consistent manor. The hitting coaches should all be fired just for the failure, if nothing else, to get Cody to change his swing and/or make better contact. To watch a former MVP who is a tremendous athlete continue to fail offensively is a tragedy. The coaches may have good ideas, but apparently aren’t good teachers.
It’s a long season. A lot can and will happen before it ends. Will the manager, coaching staff, and players remain in tact? We’ll see.
Carry on.
I don’t blame Roberts for the Dodgers uninspired play. I think the players are too comfortable and feel they already accomplished their pay. They sure ain’t putting on that gotta get it done approach. In simpler words, they ain’t hungry enough. They feel they’ve got nothing to prove and they owe nothing. If that’s not where it’s at, why then don’t they show it. Sure they’ve all played hard before and came up short, so why put so much into it? Most of the time it’s fighting a losing battle so why stress? Why as fans do we stress? Well, what else we gonna do? I think we should just follow their lead and see it as no big deal. I’m sure each has no problem owning up to it. It’d be hard to be disgruntled with themselves when they have nothing to prove.
p.s. I hope you read this players!
Man, I knew you would come around some day, I didn’t ever really believe your words constantly backing Doc and his record. The guy has little value other than a positive attitude and a penchant for delivering meaningless catch phrases.
I love Travis Barbary. He’s a true baseball rat. I love guys like that. He didn’t have the skills necessary to play the game, but stuck around the field anyways, doing whatever he can to stay around baseball. I also love Chase Utley and JT and think either of them would be a good manager. They play the game the right way. Even with JT’s diminishing skills, he still clutches up at the plate and makes good heads up plays.
I don’t expect any changes to come during the season though. A three game losing streak doesn’t often lead to a firing. That’s about 10 games less than Joe Maddon went through to get canned and he was walking a tight rope to begin with.
Honestly, I think things will turn around in short order and this funk is schedule induced from the 31 in 30 run. I’m sure players are feeling a bit of burn out. With three more days off coming over the next week or so, while playing the Angels, Indians and Reds, we should be able to right the ship over the next couple of weeks.
And did anyone mention that Roberts should have pitched an opener for Urias yesterday? Maybe the Dodgers should have a team meeting and talk about politics and religion. That always fires us up at LADT! Now before you come down on me like a ton of bricks B&P I did NOT say here on the site just in the locker room! In fact you can probably pitch as well as Price. Maybe the Dodgers should sign you and put you in that locker room. That would raise the temperature!
Exactly. Why don’t talk of the marvelous(meh!) job the pletora of hitting coaches are doing with the players? How about that hitting approach ?
Instead of talking about Belli hitting two bucks and change, let’s talk about firing Roberts.