The Frontrunners for the AL Manager of the Year Award
Joe Torre- The New York Yankees’ pilot may be doing his best job in the Bronx in 2006. Already a two-time AL Manager of the Year, Torre has seen injuries to virtually every one of his regulars in 2006. Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield, his two corner outfielders, have been lost for much of the year. Matsui broke his wrist diving for a ball and Sheffield had surgery to repair damage to his. Second-year hitting sensation Robinson Cano, Torre’s second baseman, is currently on the disabled list with a leg injury Add to that the fact that free agent bust Carl Pavano won’t throw a single pitch in 2006, newly acquired set-up man Kyle Farnsworth has been as reliable as a weather forecast, and every regular from Derek Jeter to Johnny Damon has missed time with various ailments, and it’s a wonder that Torre has the Yankees within hailing distance of Boston. If he can somehow guide the Yanks to another AL East title, Joe Torre would certainly be a good choice to be named the AL Manager of the Year.
Joe Maddon- He already has one distinction that no AL Manager of the Year shares, or any manager for that matter in pro ball; his uniform number, 70, is the highest ever worn by a regular Major League Baseball manager in history. But Maddon, who spent the previous 31 years of his professional baseball career in the Angels organization, is a serious candidate for the AL Manager of the Year Award. Although his Devil Rays are 39-50 at this point, they have played shorthanded for most of the campaign. Rocco Baldelli, Julio Lugo, Aubrey Huff, and Jorge Cantu have all spent time on the DL, but Tampa Bay has played hardnosed baseball all year. Maddon has the Rays heading in the right direction, as their recent series with AL East powerhouses Boston and New York showed. Tampa Bay won the first three games before being blown out late in the fourth by the Red Sox, highlighted by exciting Carl Crawford’s steal of home plate in the third win. Then they played the Yankees tough, salvaging the final game of their three game set. If Maddon, whose coke bottle glasses remind one more of Drew Carey than of a baseball skipper, can keep Tampa Bay playing this kind of baseball, he could be the AL Manager of the Year.
Jim Leyland- There is no bigger surprise than Leyland’s Detroit Tigers in 2006. A two time Manager of the Year in the National League, Leyland has the Tigers in front of the AL Central Division by a game over the defending champion White Sox. He has done it with the best pitching in baseball; the Tigers’ team ERA of 3.52 is by far the best in the sport. Consider that the next best team is San Diego at 3.90; the next best American League squad is Oakland at 4.19. Leyland called his club on the carpet early on after a lackadaisical effort on a getaway day, and the lesson stuck. If Detroit can make the playoffs, which at his time appears likely, Leyland would have to be considered the favorite for the American League Manager of the Year Award.
Ozzie Guillen- The charismatic and controversial Guillen is many things, but never dull. His White Sox are at 56-29, but cannot quite catch the Tigers. Last year’s AL Manager of the Year, Guillen has found himself in some hot water with some of his comments this year, but he is not about to change his style. He is getting a big season from free agent pickup Jim Thome, who is putting together a monster year. Thome already has 29 homers and 75 RBI; add those numbers to Paul Konerko’s 67 runs batted in and Jermaine Dye’s 61 and the White Sox have a fearsome attack. All five of Ozzie’s starting pitchers have at least 8 wins, with Jose Contreras at 9-0, making him the leading Cy Young Award candidate. Throw fireballing closer Bobby Jenks into the mix and Guillen has all the ingredients for success, and a possible repeat AL Manager of the Year trophy.
Terry Francona- Very few people get less credit that Francona, who has the Red Sox atop the tough AL East. When he guided the Red Sox to the wild card that eventually garnered them their first title in over eighty years, Francona did not receive a single vote for AL Manager of the Year. That should change in 2006 if he can keep Boston in front of the Yankees and Blue Jays. The pitching has been up and down; the up coming from Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, and Jonathan Papelbon, and the down coming from most everyone else. The lineup is anchored in the middle by David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, who have combined for 53 homers and 147 RBI so far. Boston’s recent 12 game winning streak helped them open up a lead on New York. If Francona can keep it, he will merit strong AL Manager of the Year consideration.
The AL West is such a mediocre group this season that it will not take much to win it. Therefore, I don’t believe that the AL Manager of the Year can come from there. The A’s currently lead the AL West, but are just 45-40. The fact that the Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the AL Central by most experts should help Leyland’s chances at being chosen the AL Manager of the Year. If Detroit makes the playoffs, he will win. But if they collapse over the next couple of months, the AL Manager of the Year race will be wide open, dictated in all probability by the order of finish in the AL East.
