GLENDALE, Ariz. – As he drove to Arizona for the start of spring training, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts listened to a book on tape – “No Time for Spectators” by Martin Dempsey, a former general and past chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The book is built around the lessons Dempsey says he learned throughout his long military career, particularly those dealing with leadership. It’s a topic about which Roberts frequently reads – and it was an appropriate topic for this year’s Dodgers.
For the first time since Roberts became manager in 2016, there is no clear team leader in the Dodgers’ clubhouse. Justin Turner left for Boston in free agency this winter and the group that reported to Camelback Ranch this spring has a different dynamic with its highest-paid players (Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman) having been raised in other organizations, the longest-tenured position player (Austin Barnes) a backup catcher, and young players sprinkled throughout.
