Dave Roberts’ next baseball job could be his biggest.
The former big league outfielder is one of the finalists for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ managerial job, and Roberts is apparently being viewed as the favorite, according to the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Plaschke.
“Those kind of guys don’t come around every day? Well, one just did,” Plaschke wrote in a column earlier this week. “(Roberts) showed up last week to interview for the Dodgers’ managerial vacancy, he aced the interview, and he’s now apparently the favorite.”
USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale heard similar sentiments, saying Roberts was able to blow away the Dodgers in his interview.
Roberts has been part of the San Diego Padres organization since 2008, when he came aboard as a coach. He spent the last two seasons as the team’s bench coach.
Roberts also played three seasons with the Dodgers. His time with the Dodgers came to an end in 2004, when he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. With the Red Sox, Roberts helped the club win a World Series, helping to turn the team’s fortunes in the American League Championship Series, when his Game 4 stolen base helped the Sox tie the game and set the stage for an historic comeback.
Another former Red Sox player, Gabe Kapler, is also considered one of the leading candidates to replace former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.
Thumbnail photo via Jake Roth/USA TODAY Sports Images
