Dave Roberts Wife, Parents, Son, Family, MLB Coaching Career

Quick Facts

Dave Roberts is an American-Japanese professional baseball manager. He became the team manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 and by 2017, he made history as the first manager of Asian descent to lead a team to the world series after helping the Dodgers clinch the National League pennant. Before starting his coaching career, Roberts had a 10-year career as a baseball outfielder during which he played for 5 different MLB teams.

Dave Roberts Family, Parents

David Ray Roberts was born on May 31, 1972, in Naha, Okinawa, Japan to an Afro-American father and a Japanese mother. His father Waymon served in the United States Marine Corps and he met and married Roberts’ mother, Eiko while serving in Japan. He has a younger sister named Melissa. Growing up, his family moved around several times and they lived in different military bases. The family ultimately settled in San Diego, California.

Roberts began his high school education at Vista High School and after his freshman year, he transferred to Rancho Buena Vista High School. A 3-sport athlete, he lettered in football, basketball, and baseball during his 3-year stint at Rancho Buena Vista and led the school to win the San Diego Section Class 3A football championship in his senior year. However, Dave turned down college football scholarship offers and opted to play baseball. Roberts eventually attended the University of California, Los Angeles where he played for the Bruins baseball team as a walk-on outfielder for 4 years.

Playing Career

Dave Roberts was picked by the Detroit Tigers in the 28th round of the 1994 MLB draft. However, he got assigned to several minor league teams for the entire duration of his 3-year stint with the Tigers. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians in June 1998 but continued playing in minor league teams until August 1999 when he marked his major league debut. His minor league assignments continued until the end of his 3-year stint with the Cleveland Indians. He played 75 games for the team and he recorded a .242 batting average.

Roberts got traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2001 and he had his first full MLB season in 2002. For the 2002 season, he hit .277 in 127 games with 45 stolen bases and for the 2003 season, he finished with a .250 batting average with 40 stolen bases in 107 games. His stint with the Dodgers came to an end in July 2004 when he was traded to the Boston Red Sox.

His stint with the Red Sox was rather shortlived, however, he made a remarkable contribution to the team’s victory at the 2004 World Series, though he did not play in the championship. In the run-up to the championship, Roberts recorded a crucial stolen base in the 2004 American League Championship Series Game 4 which helped the team qualify for and ultimately win the 2004 World Series, their first since 1918.

Dave Roberts joined the San Diego Padres in December 2004 and after 2 years, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants where he spent the last years of his playing career. He was released from his contract with the Padres in March 2009. He officially retired from the sport in May 2009 after which he had a one-year career as a sportscaster.

MLB Coaching Career

Dave Roberts was recruited by the San Diego Padres in October 2010 as the team’s first base coach. He functioned in that capacity for 3 seasons before getting promoted to bench coach at the end of the 2013 season.

He was hired as the team manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers on November 23, 2015. He led the team to win their 4th consecutive National League West title in 2016 and also advance to the 2016 National League Championship Series. He was voted as the 2016 National League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and Sporting Newsmagazine.

Roberts led the LA Dodgers to the 2017 World Series and by so doing, he made history as the first baseball manager of Asian origin to make to the World Series. The Dodgers were eventually defeated 3-4 by the Houston Astros in seven games.

Roberts and the Dodgers had a rough start to the 2018 season, however, they managed to bounce back and clinch the National League West title finishing with a 92-71 record. Roberts led the team to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers in 7 games in the 2018 NLCS which qualified them for the 2018 World Series, their second consecutive championship series. The Dodgers are billed to face the Boston Red Sox in the 2018 World Series.

Wife, Son

Just like his career, Dave Roberts equally has it going for him in his relationship and family life. He is married to his high school sweetheart Tricia. Just like her famous husband, Tricia Roberts (née Schempp) grew up in Vista, California.

She is a certified sommelier and she also runs her own interior designs firm. The couple tied the knot back in 1997. They have 2 children together, a son named Cole and a daughter Emmerson.

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