AL Manager of the Year Power Rankings: The best managers in the AL so far
Here's where the AL Manager of the Year award race stands as the season nears resolution
•
3 min read
Seven weeks remain in the 2016 Major League Baseball season, so while we've seen the majority of the season played, there's still a lot of baseball to go. It's a fun point to discuss how the individual awards races might shape up, so let's do that.
Before we dive in, let's point out that these aren't our predictions or even necessarily how we would vote. It's a snapshot of where things stand, and we're making subjective judgments on how the vote could turn out based on recent historical voting tendencies.
As for the chronically ill-defined Manager of the Year award, it goes to the manager whose team positively defies expectations to the greatest extent, overcomes various obstacles en route to contention, or improves significantly relative to the prior season. With those general principles in mind, let's power rank the AL Manager of the Year hopefuls with seven weeks left in the season.
1. Buck Showalter, Orioles
A three-time Manager of the Year award winner, Showalter deserves a fourth for leading the AL's most surprising team. This spring, like many before it, the Orioles were expected to finish last. However, the season has shown us that the O's trademark bullpen-over-rotation approach remains effective.
Described in the latest Baseball Prospectus Annual as a "baseball detective," Showalter deserves credit for embracing an unusual strategy in handling his bullpen. The Orioles entered Wednesday with the second-most amount of multi-inning appearances, yet tied for the fewest amount of appearances made on zero days' rest. In other words, Showalter has prioritized getting more from his relievers when they do pitch, even if that means they work fewer games. That trade-off has seemingly proved worthwhile.
The Orioles are more likely to claim a wild-card spot than the American League East, but that's okay. Back in March, few had them in the playoff race entering the final two months For that reason -- and a few others, including the one listed above -- expect Showalter to garner serious MOY consideration.
2. Jeff Banister, Rangers
The AL has never had a repeat Manager of the Year winner. As such Banister, who won the award last winter, will probably have to settle for second place.
Consider it appropriate that Banister -- a hard-nosed grinder from his ball-playing days -- has overseen a roster that's taken its lumps while maintaining the best record in the AL. The Rangers have had to change closers, push forward without arguably their top starting pitcher on separate occasions, and navigate around injuries to Josh Hamilton, Prince Fielder, and others ... and Banister's bunch has done so with aplomb, since they hold the largest divisional lead in the league. Impressive, huh?
Obviously you can argue that Banister deserves the award based on those factors, but the Rangers were good last season, too, and passed the spring smell test as a believable contender. If Banister wins, nobody should complain. For now, though, a second- or third-place finish seems like the safer bet.
3. Terry Francona, Indians
We're giving Francona -- the 2013 MOY winner -- the nod here over John Gibbons because the Indians have gotten to where they are with less talent and more adversity than the Blue Jays.
Known foremost as a player's manager, Francona always seems to be in a chipper mood -- as if he's just read Anne Donahue's newsletter. Despite the Indians' record, he's had to work to maintain that Mr. Sunshine demeanor due to the injuries and ineffectiveness of Michael Brantley and Yan Gomes. Add in the drama surrounding the Jonathan Lucroy trade fiasco, and the Indians' ascent in the AL Central looks more impressive.
Granted, Francona's job is made easier by the presence of a high-quality rotation and shortstop Francisco Lindor -- a player so delightful and cheery that he's essentially a walking Carly Rae Jepsen song -- but he's not without managerial deftness, either. Francona has done well to juggle platoons all season long, and seems to be approaching his new bullpen depth with proper imagination. Maybe you credit that last part to Francona's circumstances -- having some great arms with no egos -- yet less skillful communicators would've botched the arrangement. Francona hasn't.
Also in the mix: John Gibbons, Blue Jays; Scott Servais, Mariners.
