"It’s going to be World Series or bust" - Dodgers manager Dave Roberts aware of soaring expectations for star-studded roster
Dave Roberts might have a super team in the form of the Los Angeles Dodgers but they still have to go out there and win it. The LA manager is skeptical of the expectations surrounding the team and is keen on making the 'World Series' winners narrative come true.
As per manager Roberts on The PosCast with Joe Posnanski & Michael Schur, this season can go either way, with either the Dodgers completing the much-fancied World Series win or failing in its pursuit.
“It’s going to be ‘World Series or bust.’ I’m going to hear it all spring. I’ve already heard it. That hasn’t changed for me," Roberts said.
Roberts has led the Dodgers since 2016. Under his leadership, the team has made the playoffs every season. Although the franchise saw their aspirations dashed in the postseason, with three World Series participations, they could only win one.
This year, they have a chance to change all that with by far the most competitive roster in all of MLB. Firstly, they signed the reigning AL MVP and talk of the town, Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers went one step further with the signing of Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and capped it off with Tyler Glasnow's trade.
Dave Roberts asserts the importance of taking one game at a time
Dave Roberts believes that his team must take up the micro perspective in how they deal with the World Series expectations.
"You’ve got to come in fresh. I think I’ve done a good job of getting our guys to buy into the micro of the moment ... You’re not going to win the World Series in February, April, March. So you have to get the micro," Dave Roberts said.
The World Series will only come for the Dodgers if all the heavy-weight names on the roster play as a team.