When Jackie Robinson first suited up for the Dodgers, he broke baseball’s color barrier and changed the game forever. More than 50 years later, the Dodgers are back on the forefront of diversity in baseball as the team announced the hiring of it’s first minority manager.
Former Dodgers outfielder, Dave Roberts, who has an African American father and Japanese mother, will be the team’s new manager and will be officially introduced at the team’s press conference scheduled for December 1st.
I’m so proud of the Dodgers, said Maury Wills, one of the most prominent African American players in the franchise’s storied history.
According to the LA Times, Roberts, 43, will receive a three-year contract with the team holding an option to keep him for a fourth season. This will make Roberts the third coach of color in the League, joining Dusty Baker of the Nationals and Fredi Gonzalez of the Braves. Roberts replaces Don Mattingly, who left the team after five years to become the new coach of the Florida Marlins.
Roberts moves to LA after spending the last five years as a coach with the Padres.
