Tuesday night, Major League Baseball and the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced Athletics manager Bob Melvin and Braves skipper Brian Snitker have been named the 2018 Managers of the Year. It is the third Manager of the Year award for Melvin. Snitker won it for the first time in his second full season as a big league manager.
Regardless of whether you're a veteran manager like Melvin or a relative newcomer like Snitker, winning Manager of the Year is a tremendous accomplishment. There is definitely some ambiguity to the award, no doubt, but generally speaking, you need a very good and very cohesive team to win Manager of the Year. You don't win the award without on-field success and a seemingly happy clubhouse.
Manager of the Year is a great accomplishment but it does not, however, equal job security. You needn't look back further than last season. Paul Molitor was named the 2017 AL Manager of the Year after leading the Twins, a team that went 59-103 in 2016, to a postseason spot in 2017. One year later, Molitor is out of the job. The Hall of Famer was relieved of his duties a few weeks ago.
The 2015 AL Manager of the Year was Jeff Banister, a rookie skipper who let the Rangers to an 88-74 record and a division title one year after a 95-loss season. Banister was also let go a few weeks ago. Both 2014 Managers of the Year have been fired -- the Nationals let Matt Williams go after a disastrous 2015 season and the Orioles let Buck Showalter go a few weeks ago.
Four of the eight Managers of the Year from 2014-17 have already been fired, with two of them (Molitor and Williams) lasting only one more season. Managers are hired to be fired. That's baseball. Teams are going younger (and cheaper) in the dugout these days, plus front office turnover often leads to managerial change as well. A new front office always wants to bring in their own manager.
Melvin recently signed a contract extension and appears to be on firm ground with the A's. He might be one of the most secure managers in the game. Snitker? It wasn't that long ago that he appeared to be a placeholder, someone to keep the seat warm until new GM Alex Anthopoulos brought in his own manager. What happens if the Braves stumble and don't make it out of the NLDS again in 2019? Would a managerial change really surprise anyone?
It is easier to make the postseason now than ever before. There are 10 postseason spots now -- 10! -- and with them come higher expectations. The Twins didn't make the postseason this year and Molitor was cut loose. The Nationals didn't make the postseason the season after Williams won Manager of the Year and he was let go. Managers are not getting a second chance nearly as often as they once did.
Contenders have outsized expectations and rebuilders, well, they always have a reason to fire their manager. Between that and the perpetual search for the next Joe Maddon, that outside-the-box motivator, it is easier for a team to convince itself it needs a new manager than ever before. Winning Manager of the Year is something to be celebrated, because in this age, it no longer buys you job security.
