"This guy is so uber-competitive" - Dave Roberts reveals what he didn't appreciate about Shohei Ohtani before $700,000,000 move

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has singled out new addition Shohei Ohtani's innate competitiveness as the aspect of the player that has been a pleasant surprise for him. The Japanese two-way star is a proven entity in the MLB and there is no doubt about his talent or leadership qualities as he joins his new team in LA. However, what has surprised Roberts the most is his will to compete and win, which he suspects will be a huge factor in the times ahead.

Dave Roberts is a former MLB outfielder who had a decade-long career in the major leagues at the start of the millennium. While he was originally selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 1994 MLB draft, he went on to make his major league debut for the Cleveland Indians in 1999. He then joined the Dodgers in 2002 and won the World Series title with the Boston Red Sox in 2004, after being traded in the middle of the season. He went on to play a couple of seasons for the San Diego Padres before ending his career with the San Francisco Giants in 2008.

After his playing career, Roberts became a coach and was hired by the Padres as their first base coach in 2010, going on to become their bench coach in 2014. He was then named the managed of the Dodgers at the end of the 2015 season and made a major impact, finishing at the top of the NL West every year except one. In the course of his career, the Dodgers manager has worked with numerous star players and Ohtani is now the most promising with the biggest price tag. However, what surprised him the most was:

“This guy is so uber-competitive. You know the humility’s there, you know the talent’s there. But I really didn’t appreciate the real drive.”

Dave Roberts explains his plan to use Mookie Betts as their regular second baseman

While the arrivals of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the Los Angeles Dodgers may have made headlines this month, their resident superstar remains Mookie Betts. The slugger had previously been the biggest star in the team and manager Dave Roberts plans to use him as their regular second baseman next season.

Betts has shown versatility in defense, playing in second base as well as in the outfield, but the Dodgers coaching staff has already announced their intention to use him in the infield next season.