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| AP Images |
The Tampa Bay Rays' Joe Maddon won AL Manager of the Year which is his second time getting the honor since 2008.
Since taking over as the Rays skipper back in 2006 the Rays are 495-477 with an AL Pennant with a couple of AL East titles to his credit. He got 26 of 28 first-place votes and 133 points.
This season was especially tough after losing the likes of Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, Grant Balfour to free agency and Matt Garza in a trade. They also lost Manny Ramierez in the beggining of the season because he retired and saw a cut in payroll of close to $30 million.
The team erased a nine game lead in the wild card standings to make the playoffs. The furious charge towards the end of the season coupled with the Boston Red Sox having one of the worse MLB stretches in September history made for an improbable end to the season.
Maddon is known for his steady hand in the clubhouse and the calming influence he brings when things are going well or bad. Maddon said after the tough start to the season "that this team was the best 0-6 club in baseball history." This makes Maddon the seventh manager to win the award multiple times.
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Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson was the recipient of the award in the National League for the first time.The Diamondbacks were criticized in prior seasons for having a plethora of young talent and letting their window of opportunity pass them by.
The former MVP was able to guide a young team from last place to first place in the NL West this season with a record of 94-68.
Gibson began as a bench coach for the Detroit Tigers in 2003 then moved onto the Diamondbacks in the same capacity in 2007. He was promoted to interim manager during the middle of last season after AJ Hinch was let go and took on the full-time spot this season.
Gibson's no nonsense personality led the the team to the playoffs where they lost to the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth and deciding game of the first round. The two-time World Series champion received 28 of the 32 first-place votes and 152 points overall.
The Diamondbacks gave him a new three-year deal with options for two more.
From The Sports Mind Of RB:
Kirk Gibson definitely deserved it. Although Don Mattingly should have got more recognition because all that happened to the LA Dodgers this season for them to finish above .500 is mind blowing. The only reason Joe Maddon won is because the Red Sox couldn't pitch to a Little League team. The Red Sox almost made watching the Mets bearable. Scratch that the Mets were really bad.
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