Surprise!!!!
Jim Leyland is the AL Manager of the Year. OK, not a shocker. To be honest, though, I thought the job that Ron Gardenhire did in Minnesota would make it closer than a lot of folks around here expected. No, Gardenhire didn’t have to turn around a franchise rooted in losing for the last dozen years, but he had to deal with more in-season challenges than any other contender in baseball. That said, what Leyland did is going to go down in history, even without a World Series crown.
Jason Beck
I agree with you, Jason, and if Detroit hadn’t beaten the Yankees, the voting would’ve been even closer. Gardenhire did a fantastic job after a horrible start. It must be a nice feeling for JL to win with such tough competition.
matt
Leland deserved it, as Ozzie Guillen did last year. I think the single year turnaround was the reason Leland beat out Gardenhire. Still, Gardy is a quality manager. As as White Sox fan, I’ve seen plety of him AND Leland. Both are excellent. It is tough to win in the AL Central, in my opinion the best division in baseball.
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