Dave Roberts: From Cancer Survivor to the Hottest Seat in Baseball

Let’s be honest for a second—managing the Los Angeles Dodgers is probably the most thankless job in sports. If you win, the critics say, “Well, of course you won, look at that payroll.” If you lose? You’re the guy who crashed a Ferrari. It’s a gig that comes with an ulcer as a signing bonus.

But when you look at Dave Roberts, the guy doesn’t seem to possess that frantic, deer-in-the-headlights look you see on so many other skippers come October. He’s calm. He’s collected. And after digging into what the man has been through off the field, it starts to make a whole lot of sense. When you’ve stared down something that actually tries to kill you, a bullpen mismanagement tweet from a disgruntled fan doesn’t really sting as much.

Roberts Faced a Battle Harder Than Game 7

We tend to view these baseball lifers as indestructible fixtures of the dugout, just uniforms filled with analytics and sunflower seeds. But back in 2010, Roberts faced a reality check that would bring anyone to their knees. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare blood cancer.

This wasn’t a “15-day IL” situation. This was life or death. Roberts opened up recently about that terrifying window of time. He had young kids. He had a life ahead of him. And suddenly, he’s hearing the “C-word.” He admitted that the first place your mind goes is, “I’m going to die.” That’s a raw, human reaction that no amount of media training can prepare you for. He went through the ringer—chemotherapy, radiation—the full nightmare treatment plan.

He beat it. He’s been cancer-free since. But you don’t walk away from that kind of fight the same person. It rewires you. It changes your definition of “pressure.”

The Accidental Managerial Career

Here is the kicker: Roberts wasn’t even plotting a master takeover of the league at that point. In fact, he never really foresaw a coaching career. He told the “Doubl3 Coverage Podcast” that after surviving cancer, he was just happy to be living day-to-day. He was trying to keep his focus narrow, just grateful to be on the right side of the grass.

Ironically, that survival mindset is exactly what launched him. The San Diego Padres offered him a coaching job the very next year. He took it, probably thinking, “Why not?” A few years later, he’s in Los Angeles, taking the helm of the most scrutinized franchise in MLB. It’s funny how life works; sometimes you stop trying to control the future, and the future hands you the keys to the kingdom.

Managing Grief While Managing a Bullpen

It hasn’t all been a victory lap since taking the Dodgers job, though. While Roberts has stacked up World Series rings—including the titles in 2020, 2024, and 2025—he’s had to navigate personal tragedies that the cameras don’t capture.

We often forget that while we are screaming at the TV because a pitcher stayed in too long, these guys are dealing with real-life trauma. Roberts lost his father, Waymon, to multiple myeloma (a bone marrow cancer) back in March of a championship-contending season. Imagine that heavy silence. His dad passed away before he could even start treatment.

Roberts had to do what so many of us are forced to do in high-pressure jobs: compartmentalize. He mentioned that when you are in the middle of a 162-game grind, you can’t fully process the grief. You stuff it down. You focus on the lineup card. You wait until the offseason to feel the full weight of it. It’s a brutal requirement of the sport, and frankly, it makes his success on the field look even more impressive.

The Absurdity of LA Expectations

So, why does Roberts seem so unbothered by the insane expectations in Los Angeles? Because he has perspective.

He knows the deal. He admitted that managing the Dodgers means that if you are one of 29 teams that doesn’t win the World Series, you failed. Those are the stakes. It’s ridiculous, unfair, and completely illogical in a sport built on failure—but that’s the job. No other team carries that burden.

Roberts credits his players—the superstars who remain humble and put in the work—for making his life easier. But let’s give credit where it’s due. You need a guy at the top who realizes that baseball, as beautiful and important as it is to us fans, isn’t actually life and death.

Roberts has lived through the latter. That’s probably why he’s so good at the former.