Dave Roberts officially named Dodgers manager

The Dodgers officially named Dave Roberts as their new manager Monday.

Roberts, 43, will be formally introduced at a news conference on Dec. 1 at Dodger Stadium.

Roberts was an outfielder for the Dodgers for 2½ seasons, starting in 2002.

“It’s hard for me to put into words what it means to be named manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers,” Roberts said in a news release. “This is truly the opportunity of a lifetime.

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“The Dodgers are the ground-breaking franchise of Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Sandy Koufax, Maury Wills, Fernando Valenzuela and Hideo Nomo. When I put on this uniform as a player, I understood the special responsibility to honor those that played before me as well as the amazing bond between the Dodgers and their fans. I feel that I have now come full circle in my career and there is plenty of unfinished business left in L.A.”

Roberts becomes the 28th manager in Dodgers history and the 10th since the franchise moved to Los Angeles. He succeeds Don Mattingly, who managed the team for five seasons.

In the news release issued by the Dodgers, President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman said, “We’re extremely excited to bring Dave Roberts on board as the next manager of the Dodgers. We could not have been more impressed with him through this process. His energy is infectious and he has the rare ability to make a genuine connection with every person he comes across.

“He has developed strong leadership qualities and accumulated a breadth of baseball experience over his career as both a player and coach. He is a ‘baseball man’ and ‘people person’ in the truest sense of those words. We feel fully confident that he will effectively lead our team in pursuit of its ultimate goal -- bringing a world championship back to the city of Los Angeles.”

Roberts, who has an African American father and Japanese mother, is the first minority manager in Dodgers history.

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