CtPG Staff Votes: AL Manager of the Year

Next up, we have the Manager of the Year Awards. Eight CtPG writers compiled top-three ballots, with a first-place vote valued at five points, a second-place vote valued at three points, and a third-place vote valued at one point. Here is the AL:

1. Kevin Cash, Rays

Tampa Bay Rays: 100-62, 1st in AL East

Kevin Cash’s Rays continue to find new ways to win ballgames, finishing first in the AL East with the #1 seed in the AL. They churned through many rookies this year, including Wander Franco in the infield and Shane McClanahan and Shane Baz on the mound. Yet another impressive managing performance from Cash, who was unanimous from us.

2. Scott Servais, Mariners

Seattle Mariners: 90-72, 2nd in AL West

Scott Servais’s Mariners were one of the surprises of the season, pushing for a Wild Card spot until the very end. They consistently outperformed their Pythagorean record, and despite trading their closer at the deadline, continued to win ball games. Servais got three second-place votes from the writers.

T-3. Charlie Montoyo, Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays: 91-71, 4th in AL East

Thanks to the strong quality of the AL East teams (and the existence of the Baltimore Orioles), four of the five won over 90 games. Unfortunately, Charlie Montoyo’s Blue Jays got the short end of the stick, missing out on a Wild Card berth. This was an especially impressive performance, because once again, the Blue Jays started the season in Dunedin, Florida, before moving back to Buffalo, New York, before finally returning to Toronto on July 30. Montoyo received two second-place votes from the writers.

T-3. Dusty Baker, Astros

Houston Astros: 95-67, 1st in AL West

Despite a pitching staff that was missing Justin Verlander and featured a struggling Zack Greinke, Dusty Baker’s Astros held it together to win yet another division title. Getting another excellent hitting season from Yordan Alvarez in addition to the usual suspects of Altuve, Correa, Bregman, and Brantley carried the team.

T-3. Tony La Russa, White Sox

Chicago White Sox: 93-69, 1st in AL Central

Despite some weird early-season drama involving Tony La Russa and Yermin Mercedes, the White Sox managed to hang on in a weak division in which they were never seriously challenged. The pitching staff was elite, anchored by their staff aces, and they traded for Craig Kimbrel at the deadline to pair with Liam Hendriks. This was a dominant team.

6. Bob Melvin, A’s

Oakland A’s: 86-76, 3rd in AL West

I feel like Bob Melvin deserves some kind of recognition every year for the performance he manages to turn in (and now he will do so in San Diego). Despite rumors circulating that the A’s were tearing it down after the season and perhaps moving to Las Vegas, Melvin kept the squad fighting for a playoff spot until the very end.

Here’s what the actual voters thought!

You can see our full breakdown of ballots below. Let us know in the comments who you would have had in your ballot!

Title Image Screenshot from MLB Twitter