Awards Season: The Managers

As much as some Phillies fans might be upset that Rob Thomson isn't a finalist, I think they nailed it with the top three in both Manager of the Year races this season.  Thomson did a great job guiding the Phillies from a sub-.500 afterthought to a playoff team and eventual pennant-winner.  But was it better than the job done by Buck Showalter, Brian Snitker or Dave Roberts?  No.

All three National League finalists led their team to 100 victories, and each of them did it in a very different way.  The Dodgers had a historic regular season.  The Braves stumbled out of the gate, only to catch fire in May and pass the Mets for the NL East title.  And the Mets proved that the right manager can make all the difference.

Let's start there.  Buck Showalter has developed a reputation for turning teams around.  First it was the Yankees, setting them up for the Joe Torre dynasty, then the expansion Diamondbacks, who won the division their second year, then the Rangers, then the Orioles.  The Mets took a big chance on him.  Not everybody was sure an older guy who isn't analytically-minded would be the right fit.  Well, those critics were certainly proven wrong!  Buck was as perfect a fit for the Mets as Dusty Baker was for the Astros.

Now let's talk about Brian Snitker of the Braves.  Atlanta was 10 1/2 games back at the beginning of June.  From that point forward, they went 78-34...while making do without several of their starters from last season's World Series championship team.  Yet they still caught and surpassed the Mets, with their significantly higher payroll.

Then there's Dave Roberts and the Dodgers.  Yes, they fizzled out in the Division Series.  Manager of the Year is a regular season award, though, and the Dodgers had a historic regular season.  They won 111 games!  That's the fourth-most for a single-season in history!  There were a ton of injuries to both the pitching staff and lineup, yet they just kept winning.  They were supposed to be good, of course, but not this good!

Roberts and Snitker have both won this award before.  Roberts in 2016 and Snitker in 2018.  Showalter, meanwhile, can make all sorts of history.  He'd tie a record with his fourth Manager of the Year...with his fourth different team!  He's been the AL Manager of the Year three times, but this would be his first in the NL.  He'd also become the first Mets manager ever to win it, which is kind of hard to believe if you think about it!

That little tidbit will no longer be true come Tuesday evening.  Because I've got Buck Showalter winning that fourth Manager of the Year (and first in the NL).  I'll put Snitker at 2 because of that run the Braves made to win the division, while I can't ignore the Dodgers' 111-51 record, which is why he goes in the No. 3 spot.

In the American League, a very valid argument can be made for all three finalists.  Cleveland won the division with the youngest team in the Majors.  Seattle ended the longest playoff drought in North American professional sports.  And the Orioles!  The Orioles came out of nowhere to finish 83-79, one year after going 52-110!

There isn't even a fourth manager worthy of being in the discussion with those three!  Sure, Dusty Baker led the Astros to 106 wins and, eventually, the World Series title.  But Houston was supposed to be good and played 57 games against the Angels, A's and Rangers!  The Angels sucked significantly less after Phil Nevin replaced Joe Maddon as manager, but they were still out of contention pretty much all season.  So, I wouldn't be surprised if the top three were all named on all 30 ballots.

Francona's been in Cleveland 10 years (crazy right?) and already won two AL Manager of the Year awards.  This might be his most impressive managing job with the Indians/Guardians yet, though.  The White Sox were supposed to run away with the AL Central.  They didn't.  The Guardians did.  With Jose Ramirez and a ton of rookies.  He took the youngest team in baseball and won 92 games, and they won the division going away.

Scott Servais, meanwhile, led the Mariners to their first postseason berth in 21 years.  Seattle won 90 games last season, so their making the playoffs wasn't a complete surprise.  But they didn't make it easy on themselves.  They won practically every close game they played in!

But, while the Guardians and Mariners both made the playoffs, what happened in Baltimore this season was simply remarkable.  The Orioles were 131-218 over Brandon Hyde's first three seasons as manager, and there was no reason to think this year would be any different.  Instead, they were the biggest surprise in baseball.  Despite playing in the toughest division, they weren't eliminated from the playoff race until Sept. 30.  Yes, they were "only" 83-79.  But that's a 32-win improvement from 2021.  If that isn't Manager of the Year worthy, I don't know what is!

Baltimore finished fourth in the AL East...behind three playoff teams.  There's only been one manager of a fourth-place team to be named Manager of the Year--Joe Girardi in 2006 (and the Marlins promptly fired him right after).  It's never happened in the American League.  But not only do I think it'll happen this year, I'll be surprised if it doesn't.

Brandon Hyde has already been named Sporting News AL Manager of the Year.  And for good reason!  Because the managing job he did in Baltimore this season is one of the best I've seen in a long time!  Hyde 1, Francona 2, Servais 3.