Just as there is no single best player–it varies from year to year–the Manager of the Year awards also rotate. Today’s genius is tomorrow’s bum. No one is safe, particularly in this era of big bucks. Look no further than Gene Lamont, a recent example.
Hailed in 1993 when he directed the White Sox to a division title, Lamont was fired less than two seasons later. He surfaced again this spring as the manager of the woebegone Pittsburgh Pirates, who have baseball’s lowest player payroll, $9 million, about $2 million less than Albert Belle’s annual wage.
During my rounds of the Florida camps, the observation was that if the Pirates lost fewer than 100 games, Lamont should be the Manager of the Year. Instead of limping home last in the National League Central, as predicted, the Pirates have lost only 80 games and are second to Houston in the division.
American League honors, on this ballot, go to Phil Garner of the Milwaukee Brewers. Like Lamont, Garner was saddled with a bundle of obscure players at the bottom of the salary scale, but he has carried the Brewers to a third-place standing in the AL Central.
Enough of this preamble. The top three selections in each league:
NL: 1. Lamont; 2. Dusty Baker, San Francisco; 3. Larry Dierker, Houston.
AL: 1. Garner; 2. Davey Johnson, Baltimore; 3. Buddy Bell, Detroit.
Lamont’s Pirates, admittedly, are in baseball’s weakest division and will finish with a .500 record at best. Lamont opened the season with only three established position players–outfielder Al Martin, shortstop Kevin Elster (since injured and replaced by Shawon Dunston) and catcher Jason Kendall. Steve Cooke was his only effective pitcher during the first half. Always patient, Lamont has used only seven starters, fewest in either league. The biggest surprise has been first baseman Kevin Young, who has developed into a power hitter and is regarded as the club’s MVP.
Baker is the ideal manager of the ’90s. He has considerable people skills, is capable of soothing clashing egos and has neutralized several potentially explosive situations. Example: When reliever Roberto Hernandez arrived in the late-season trade with the White Sox, Baker pacified Rod Beck, his longtime All-Star closer, and told him there would be times when he would finish with Hernandez.
Previously a hitting coach, Baker is a teaching manager. Second baseman Jeff Kent, first baseman J.T. Snow and shortstop Jose Vizcaino have prospered under his tutelage. After a poor first half, Barry Bonds is playing like Barry Bonds. Baker’s players would kill for him.
Dierker’s appointment was greeted with derision. A one-time star pitcher, he had been in the Astros’ broadcasting booth for 17 years and was without managerial experience. He had a lot to prove. With Dierker’s help–he knows pitching–Darryl Kile has been the star of the staff, a Cy Young candidate with a 19-7 record. Billy Wagner, in his first full season, has anchored the bullpen. Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio have accounted for 65 of the club’s 118 home runs.
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Garner gets the most out of his players. The Brewers have taken on his personality and play hard. His only power hitter, John Jaha, went down with a shoulder injury early in the season, but the Brewers hung in. Jeromy Burnitz, a Cleveland castoff and previously a role player, has provided the power in Jaha’s absence. Garner has embellished his reputation for developing young players. Even with their late-season skid, the Brewers still may finish ahead of the White Sox.
Johnson’s Orioles have been the best club in the AL during the regular season. He has had the best pitching in the league, with three exceptional starters–Mike Mussina, Scott Erickson and Jimmy Key–all having big years. Johnson also has an exceptional closer in Randy Myers, the ex-Cub who has been almost perfect, converting 43 of 44 save opportunities.
Bell has turned the Tigers around. They lost 109 games last season, but this year they are 79-79, a 26-game improvement. A former All-Star third baseman and minor-league instructor, Bell is also a teaching manager, with a good sense of humor. In his two years as a big-league manager, none of his players has voiced a complaint.