The Dodgers hired ex-Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke as their new third base coach on Monday, moving Lorenzo Bundy to bench coach and outfield defensive coaching duties.

Bundy had been partially blamed for the Dodgers' baserunning woes; at the time he was moved off of the third base coach position, Los Angeles ranked dead last in baserunning, according to Fangraphs.

Roenicke was fired by the Brewers in early May after Milwaukee began the season a National League-worst 7-18.


Overall, in four-plus seasons at the helm for the Brewers, Roenicke compiled a win-loss record of 342-331, leading the club to the postseason in his first year, 2011. He came in second in N.L. Manager of the Year voting that season.

The question that naturally arises with the hiring of Roenicke by Los Angeles is: Why a former manager when there are potentially others within and outside the Dodgers organization that could very well perform the same job?

The follow-up question to that one is: Could this hire be a way to facilitate Roenicke becoming familiar with the team during the stretch run and possibly postseason before he takes over for current manager Don Mattingly?

Granted, Roenicke played for the Dodgers in the early 1980's and held various coaching positions with the club over the years before he became a manager in Milwaukee. But the question stands, nonetheless.

Mattingly, like Roenicke, broke into the big league managerial ranks in 2011. After a Magic Johnson-led group purchased the Dodgers in 2012, pressure began to mount for the club to contend for a World Series title, as the new ownership group made it clear very quickly that money was no option in pursuit of a championship,

In 2013, the Dodgers caught fire when Yasiel Puig was called up, steamrolling all comers into the postseason in what looked to be a season destined to end with a parade in downtown L.A.

But it wasn't to be: The Dodgers lost in the National League Championship Series in six games to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Going into 2014, the Dodgers felt they had exited the postseason the prior year prematurely, and that they had unfinished business to attend to in the new campaign. They reached October once again after winning the N.L. West for the second straight season, but once again, their nemesis stood in the way: The Cardinals again eliminated the Dodgers, this time in four games in the division series.

With a new-look front office this season -- former Rays general manager Andrew Friedman took over as president of baseball operations prior to the beginning of the campaign, and brought in former A's GM Farhan Zaidi to take over in that capacity for L.A. -- Mattingly may very well have been on a hot seat from Day 1 of the season.

ESPN's Mark Saxon reports that Mattingly said he was the one who advocated for Roenicke to become the new third base coach, and that the decision to hire the former Brewers manager did not originate from the front office:

"Mattingly said Friedman presented him a list of available names to replace Bundy at third base. Mattingly said he chose Roenicke in part because he was aware of how well the Los Angeles Angels ran the bases when Roenicke was doing that job under Mike Scioscia."

So whether we are to believe that Mattingly was presented with a list and the decision was entirely up to him, or that the front office did, in fact, prefer Roenicke, is debatable.

But the fact of the matter remains: If the Dodgers fall short of the World Series a third consecutive year, there will be someone with proven managerial experience in the National League waiting in the wings should the front office decide their patience with Mattingly has run its course.