Dave Roberts is one of the most accomplished managers in modern baseball and one of the most respected leaders in professional sports. As the longtime manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Roberts has guided his team to multiple World Series appearances and three championships — earning a reputation for leadership rooted in resilience, empathy, and unshakable belief in his players.
A former MLB outfielder who played for ten seasons with teams including the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants, Roberts is best remembered for one of the most iconic plays in baseball history: his game-saving stolen base in the 2004 ALCS that ignited the Red Sox’s comeback and eventual World Series win. That moment defined the player — and the leader — he would become: calm under pressure, relentlessly positive, and fully committed to the team.
Since becoming Dodgers manager in 2016, Roberts has led Los Angeles to sustained excellence — winning World Series titles in 2020, 2024, and 2025, earning multiple pennants, and posting one of the highest managerial win percentages in MLB history at .627. With his third championship in 2025, Roberts passed Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda to become the second-most-decorated Dodgers manager ever, trailing only Walter Alston who won four titles. Roberts accomplished his three championships in just ten seasons — faster than any Dodgers skipper in history.
He is also the first manager of Asian heritage to lead a team to a World Series title, a proud milestone for both the league and the game. The son of a Japanese mother and African American father, Roberts has broken barriers while building dynasties.
Off the field, Roberts is celebrated for his emotional intelligence and his ability to create cultures of trust and accountability. Whether speaking to corporate teams, educators, or leadership groups, he draws direct parallels between building a championship clubhouse and creating a world-class workplace culture. His philosophy is simple but powerful: leadership isn’t about titles — it’s about trust, communication, and the courage to believe in others.
Roberts’ steady hand was never more evident than in the 2025 World Series, when he navigated an unprecedented Game 7 against the Toronto Blue Jays — the longest Game 7 of this century. Down to their final two outs, Roberts never wavered. When Miguel Rojas hit a stunning game-tying home run in the ninth inning, Roberts made the gutsy call to bring in Game 6 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto on just one day’s rest with the bases loaded. It worked. The Dodgers won 5-4 in 11 innings. ‘You’ve got to give it to Doc Roberts,’ Alex Rodriguez said afterward. ‘Now, he’s a three-time World Champion, and it now cements him as a Hall of Fame manager. Put him in Cooperstown.’
In his postgame clubhouse speech, Roberts told his team: ‘What you guys accomplished this year is unprecedented. Everything that we had to go through, no one ever wavered. You guys made it easy for me to believe in you. I coach because I love you guys.’
Roberts’ message resonates far beyond baseball: leadership isn’t about knowing all the answers — it’s about trusting your people, staying relentlessly positive, and managing your ego so every person can thrive.













