Guiding a team to 101 wins and the best record in the American League couldn’t be ignored by voters in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Brandon Hyde was named AL Manager of the Year, with the news coming tonight on MLB Network. He was the only manager to appear on every ballot.
Hyde, a runner-up last year to the Indians’ Terry Francona, received 27 first-place votes and three second. The Rangers’ Bruce Bochy garnered the other three first-place votes and finished with 61 points.
The Rays’ Kevin Cash had 52, followed by the Twins’ Rocco Baldelli (eight), the Astros’ Dusty Baker (four) and the Blue Jays’ John Schneider (one).
Joe Maddon, a three-time recipient and close friend of Hyde’s, made the announcement. Hyde was on Maddon’s coaching staff when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016.
Hyde is the ninth Manager of the Year who didn’t play in the majors.
"It means our team had a really good year," he said on a video call with local media. "Just proud of what we've accomplished up to this point. This is definitely not an individual award. I don't look at it as that at all. I look at it as a team award. The entire coaching staff, really an organizational award for what we've done here in five years and what we've done here the last couple years.
"I thought we had a really special season, and to win 101 games in the big leagues is so hard to do. And how we fought for six months and continue to improve. I'm just really looking forward to next year already and just really proud of the year we had."
The Sporting News award has gone to Hyde in back-to-back years, an honor that comes from his peers.
The writers got it right tonight.
Hyde said he hadn't considered the number of first-place votes and how he won by such a large margin.
"Listen, those two guys that were up there as finalists, I have so much respect for," he said. "Kevin Cash is a great manager and is going to continue to be a great manager. And Bruce Bochy is Hall of Fame and somebody that I look up to as somebody I would like to be like someday. I'm just proud to be in that conversation, honestly. I'm proud to be on the same panel as guys that have done a lot of really cool things on this job."
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