Joe Maddon is on his way to a second straight NL Manager Of The Year Award. The veteran skipper has led the Chicago Cubs to the best record in baseball, not an easy feat considering they are in the toughest division in all of baseball. His merits are undeniable, but there’s another manager that should be in the mix but doesn’t get enough praise.
We’re talking about Dave Roberts, manager of Los Angeles Dodgers. The team tops the NL West with a 71-55 record, three games over the San Francisco Giants. That’s not impressive since they have been a contender for the last few years, however. What’s really surprising is the way the Dodgers have played considering all the injury problems they’ve had during the season.
The franchise has had problems with injuries since spring training. Earlier this week they tied an MLB record with 27 different players on the DL this year. Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy, Scott Van Slyke, Brett Anderson and Josh Ravin have been in the DL at least twice, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Scott Kazmir is currently dealing with a neck injury and Clayton Kershaw hasn’t pitched since late June.
Kershaw’s issue has been the biggest of them all, undoubtedly. The left-handed ace has been stellar this season (11-2, 1.79 ERA and 0.73 WHIP in 16 starts) but he’s been out for almost two months. To put things into perspective: if the season ended today, Kershaw wouldn’t be eligible to win the NL Cy Young.
Then there’s the whole Yasiel Puig issue. The Cuban outfielder is a shell of his former self, and the Dodgers simply don’t want him anymore. Puig, in fact, is not with the MLB club anymore, and chances are he won’t be in a Dodgers uniform again this year. Roberts has dealt with that issue extremely well, focusing solely on the players that can help the Dodgers win.
We know wins are the most important things in baseball, but sometimes a record doesn’t tell the whole story. Maddon certainly deserves the award, but Roberts can’t be overlooked. The fact that he’s been able to do a lot with so little speaks volumes about his qualities as a manager.