Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Manager of the Year Award is an honor given annually since 1983 to two outstanding managers, one each in the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner is voted on by 30 members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). Each submits a vote for first, second, and third place among the managers of each league.[a] The manager with the highest score in each league wins the award.
Lou Piniella won the 2008 National League Manager of the Year Award, and won twice in the American League. | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Awarded for | Best manager of American League and National League |
| Country | United States, Canada |
| Presented by | Baseball Writers' Association of America |
| History | |
| First award | 1983 |
| Most recent |
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Several managers have won the award in a season in which they led their team to 100 or more wins. They are:
- Lou Piniella – 116 (Seattle Mariners, 2001)
- Joe Torre – 114 (New York Yankees, 1998)
- Gabe Kapler – 107 (San Francisco Giants, 2021)
- Sparky Anderson – 104 (Detroit Tigers, 1984)
- Tony La Russa – 104 (Oakland Athletics, 1988)
- Dusty Baker – 103 (San Francisco Giants, 1993)
- Larry Dierker – 102 (Houston Astros, 1998)
- Whitey Herzog – 101 (St. Louis Cardinals, 1985)
- Rocco Baldelli – 101 (Minnesota Twins, 2019)
- Buck Showalter – 101 (New York Mets, 2022)
- Brandon Hyde – 101 (Baltimore Orioles, 2023)
- Kevin Cash – 100 (Tampa Bay Rays, 2021)
In 1991, Bobby Cox became the first manager to win the award in both leagues, winning with the Atlanta Braves and having previously won with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1985. La Russa, Piniella, Showalter, Jim Leyland, Bob Melvin, Davey Johnson, and Joe Maddon have since won the award in both leagues. Cox, La Russa, and Showalter have won the most awards, with four. Baker, Leyland, Piniella, Maddon, Melvin, and Terry Francona have won three times. In 2005, Cox became the first manager to win the award in consecutive years. Cash became the second manager in 2021, and first in the AL, to win the award in consecutive years. Terry Francona and Buck Showalter are the most recent winners.
Because of the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike cut the season short and canceled the post-season, the BBWAA writers effectively created a de facto mythical national championship (similar to college football) by naming managers of the unofficial league champions (lead the leagues in winning percentage) (Buck Showalter and Felipe Alou) as Managers of the Year. The Chicago White Sox have seen five managers win the award, most in the majors, while one franchise, the Milwaukee Brewers, has not had a manager win the award.
Only five managers have won the award while leading a team that finished outside the top two spots in its division. Buck Rodgers was the first, winning the award in 1987 with the third-place Expos. Tony Peña and Showalter won the award with third-place teams in back-to-back years: Peña with the Royals in 2003, and Showalter with the Rangers in 2004. Joe Girardi is the only manager to win the award with a fourth-place team (2006 Florida Marlins); he is also the only manager to win the award after fielding a team with a losing record.