Squawker Jon and I are members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. As part of our responsibilities with the group, we will be voting on regular-season award winners. Here’s my ballot for the Connie Mack Award (AL Manager of the Year Award). I made my choices in my mind at the end of the season, and playoff performances have nothing to do with my picks:
1. Ron Washington, Texas Rangers: Washington’s spring started out with his admission that he had tested positive for cocaine in an MLB drug test. The team went through a chaotic bankruptcy and sale. And Josh Hamilton was hurt for the last month of the season. Through all that trauma, Washington defied the experts, and led his team to its first AL West title in a decade.
2. Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins: Gardenhire got his team yet another AL Central title, despite the loss of closer Joe Nathan for the season, and star Justin Morneau for most of the second half of the year. Oh, and superstar Joe Mauer only hit one homer in Target Field all year. No matter.
3. Terry Francona, Boston Red Sox: GM Theo Epstein basically dashed playoff hopes this winter, calling this a “bridge year.” And then half the team got injured — or so it seemed. Yet Francona kept the Red Sox in the race until September. He deserves credit for that.
What do you think? Tell us about it.
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