
Dave Roberts
Manager, Los Angeles Dodgers
Dave Roberts is the esteemed manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a former Major League Baseball player. Approaching his 10th season with the Dodgers, Roberts has made a powerful impact on the franchise and MLB as a whole. He holds the highest winning percentage by a manager in Major League history and is the only National League manager to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first nine seasons.
Under Roberts’ leadership, the Dodgers won the 2020 and 2024 World Series, making him only the second Black manager to achieve this milestone. He has guided the team to four National League pennants and eight NL West division titles in nine seasons, and he is one of five managers in MLB history to record five seasons with 100 or more wins, achieving this in record time.
He was named National League Manager of the Year in his first season in 2016, becoming the first manager of Asian descent to receive the honor and joining the legendary Tommy Lasorda as the only Dodgers manager to win the award.
Before his managerial triumphs, Roberts enjoyed a 10-year playing career, making his MLB debut with the Cleveland Indians in 1999. With the Dodgers, he won the starting center field job out of Spring Training in 2002 and became known for his defensive skills and speed, stealing 118 bases in 302 games. Roberts than carved his place in MLB history when his stolen base in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 2024 American League Championship Series propelled the Boston Red Sox to an unprecedented comeback to win the AL pennant after the team lost its first three games.
Born in Okinawa, Japan to an African American father and a Japanese mother, Roberts grew up in Southern California. He played college baseball at UCLA, where he set the school record for stolen bases. Off the field, he is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in sports, serving on multiple advisory committees, and is a member of the Anti-Defamation League’s Sports Leadership Council.
Roberts lives in Southern California with his wife, Tricia, where they raised their children Cole and Emme. He is a respected figure in the baseball community and continues to inspire the next generation of players and fans.
Annette Haslam