The Manager of the Year awards were given out Tuesday Night, Jeff Banister of the Texas Rangers takes the American League award while Joe Maddon takes home the National League awards. Banister was selected over A.J. Hinch of the Houston Astros, and Paul Molitor of the Minnesota Twins. Maddon won over Mike Matheny of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Terry Collins of the New York Mets.
Managers of the Year; Banister and Maddon
ESPN reports that Banister managed to get the Rangers (88-74) to an AL West division title despite losing ace pitcher, Yu Darvish to Tommy John Surgery during spring training. The first-year manager struggled at the start of the season, at the All-Star break the Rangers were four games below .500 at 42-46. In the second half of the season, the were able to get on track going 46-28 and making it into the playoffs. Texas lost in a five game series with the AL East division champion, Toronto Blue Jays, though the playoff run itself was unexpected. Banister is the first Rangers’ manager to earn the Manager of the Year award since Buck Showalter back in 2004.
This is Joe Maddon’s third Manager of the Year award. Maddon guided the Cubs to a 97-65 record, a play-off berth, and even a play-off series win. Maddon has been praised for his handling of the Cubs All-Star shortstop Starling Castro. After a tough start to the season, Maddon benched Castro for younger Addison Russell and then moved Castro to 2nd Base which seemed to get Castro going. Maddon has a reputation of a player’s coach from his time in Tampa Bay, where he won his previous two Manager of the Year awards. The Cubs defeated Pittsburgh in the Wild Card one game playoff, the St. Louis Cardinals in a series that only went four games before getting swept by the Terry Collins’ New York Mets in the NLCS.
Main Photo:
TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 14: Manager Jeff Banister #28 of the Texas Rangers looks on before game five of the American League Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on October 14, 2015 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
