Ricky AL Manager of the Year?

[thomas35forever]

https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-s...er-of-the-year
I know it's preposterous to suggest such a notion around these parts, but Steve Greenberg lays out the reasons it could happen.

[A. Cavatica]

Faint praise from Stoney.

“This is the first year — in this, his fifth year in the major leagues — that Ricky has had a chance to show what he can do as a manager,” TV analyst Steve Stone said. “The jury is still out. I think the best thing that he does is communicate with his players [and] get his team to play hard every day.”

I agree, FWIW. I give him a ton of credit for the clubhouse chemistry. But his game management (lineups, substitutions, bullpen management) has a ton of holes.

[ChiTownTrojan]

Faint praise from Stoney.

“This is the first year — in this, his fifth year in the major leagues — that Ricky has had a chance to show what he can do as a manager,” TV analyst Steve Stone said. “The jury is still out. I think the best thing that he does is communicate with his players [and] get his team to play hard every day.”

I agree, FWIW. I give him a ton of credit for the clubhouse chemistry. But his game management (lineups, substitutions, bullpen management) has a ton of holes.

I think a lot of his decisions have the "long view" in mind. He will make his lineup not to give the team the best chance of winning on that day, but in order to maybe get certain players going, or challenge them/protect them as he feels necessary. It will be interesting to see how he manages a playoff game that is must-win.

[Mohoney]

Jerry Manuel won “Manager of the Year“ despite being a bad manager. It happens all the time.

[HomeFish]

Manager of the Year is an award that is often, if not typically, given to the manager whose team most over-performed expectations. See Jerry Manuel winning it in 2000, or Tony Pena winning it in 2002. In this sense, Ricky would be a natural contender in 2020. However, I think that there are now too many younger, more statistically inclined people involved to block him from the award.

[Chez]

I'm rooting against it solely because I would honestly miss some of the posters whose heads would explode if Ricky is named manager of the year.

[QueerGirrl]

I'm rooting against it solely because I would honestly miss some of the posters whose heads would explode if Ricky is named manager of the year.

[A. Cavatica]

I would honestly miss some of the posters whose heads would explode if Ricky is named manager of the year.

I’ve seen lots worse — Ventura, Ozzie from 2006 on, Bevington, Fregosi, Rader, Kessinger, Doby. I think Renteria’s on par with Manuel and Lamont, who made my head explode less than half the time.