One day after Major League Baseball announced the winners for rookie of the year, the American League Manager of the Year and National League Manager of the Year Awards were announced. In the American League, Terry Francona of the Cleveland Guardians was honoured. While in the National League, Buck Showalter of the New York Mets received the award.
Terry Francona
At the start of the season, the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox were expected to contend for the American League Central title. However, it was the Cleveland Guardians that came through as they had a record of 92 wins and 70 losses, and beat the second place White Sox by 11 games.
What made the Guardians season so impressive, is that they had 16 rookies as starters on their roster. This was the most ever by one team that won a division in Major League Baseball history.
Francona, a native of Aberdeen, South Dakota, has now spent 22 years as a Major League manager. He was with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1997 to 2000, the Boston Red Sox from 2004 to 2011, and Cleveland since 2013. Francona’s regular season record is 1874 wins and 1586 losses for a winning percentage of .542. While with the Red Sox, he won two World Series in 2004 and 2007.
This was the third time Francona won the American League Manager of the Year Award. He previously won in 2013 and 2016 with Cleveland. In 2013, the Indians had a record of 92 wins and 70 losses as well. Then in 2016, they had a record of 94 wins and 67 losses, and won the American League pennant.
Buck Showalter
Compared to the Guardians, the expectations for the New York Mets was a lot higher in 2022. Showalter was recognized even though the Mets were unable to win the National League East. They did win 101 games though, for a record of 101-61 and a winning percentage of .623. That was a 24-win improvement from a year before.
A native of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, Showalter has spent 21 seasons as a Major League manager. He was with the New York Yankees (1992 to 1995), the Arizona Diamondbacks (1998 to 2000), the Texas Rangers (2003 to 2006), the Baltimore Orioles (2010 to 2018), and the Mets in 2022. Showalter has a career record of 1652 wins and 1578 losses for a winning percentage of .511.
This was the fourth time Showalter was named the Manager of the Year, but first time in the senior circuit. He was previously recognized while with the Yankees in the strike-shortened season of 1994, the Rangers in 2004, and the Orioles in 2014. With the Yankees in 1994, they had a record of 70 wins and 43 losses. In 2004, the Rangers had a record of 89 wins and 73 losses. In 2014, the Orioles had a record of 96 wins and 66 losses.
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