The writers announce the Manager of the Year awards on Tuesday evening. My votes in the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) went to (in order) Aaron Boone, Rocco Baldelli, and AJ Hinch in the AL. In the NL, the order was Mike Shildt, Brian Snitket, and Torey Lovullo. That puts me a bit out of sync with the BBWAA, whose top three include Kevin Cash instead of Hinch in the AL, and Craig Counsell instead of Lovullo in the NL. Hinch is simply a very good manager. I especially like that the Astros did not issue an intentional walk in the 2019 regular season, and that should be rewarded.

As for Lovullo over Counsell, it was a bit of a flip of a coin. The Diamondbacks lost Paul Goldschmidt at the start of the season to a trade, then lost Zack Greinke mid-season to a trade. Lovullo kept the team in the race well into September. To Counsell’s credit, he lost Christian Yelich down the stretch, and the team came back despite that injury.

Boone received my top vote to the injuries faced by the Yankees during the season. It’s impressive that a roster that devastated managed to win 100 games. Shildt never gave up on the Cardinals, and when things looked grim he stayed the course and won the division. I think that any of the eight on this list would be a good choice, however.