Baltimore Orioles’ Brandon Hyde and Miami Marlins’ Skip Schumaker won American League and National League Manager of the Year awards, respectively, on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:
- First-year manager Schumaker steered the Marlins to an 84-78 record after inheriting a team that lost 93 games in 2022. Miami highlighted its surprising season with a trip to the Wild Card Series, where it lost to the Philadelphia Phillies.
- Schumaker became the eighth individual to win Manager of the Year in his first year as manager.
- Hyde led the Orioles to an AL-leading 101 wins and the franchise’s first postseason berth since 2016. Under his leadership, Baltimore never lost more than four consecutive games during the regular season.
How Hyde won the award
The Orioles experienced an 18-win improvement from 2022 to 2023 — almost as impressive as the team’s 31-game uptick from 2021 to 2022. Hyde has been at the helm since 2019 as the club undertook a massive rebuilding effort. The project came to fruition in 2023 as the team won 101 games and captured the American League East against typically tough competition.
Hyde earned plaudits for creating an atmosphere where top prospects like infielder Gunnar Henderson and catcher Adley Rutschman can flourish. He managed his relief corps well in 2023, a crucial factor in the club going 30-16 in one-run games. Hyde may not get a chance at this trophy again; this award typically goes to the manager of a club whose team exceeds expectations. The Orioles established themselves as perennial contenders in 2023. — Andy McCullough, senior MLB writer
How Schumaker won the award
In his first season at the helm, Schumaker managed a Marlins club that outplayed its Pythagorean record by nine victories, winning 84 games to earn a postseason spot. Miami was not expected to contend in 2023, but managed to stay in the Wild Card race despite losing reigning Cy Young award winner Sandy Alcantara to injury late in the season. The Marlins played with energy and enthusiasm throughout the season.
Like Hyde with the Orioles, Schumaker benefited from incredible good fortune in one-run games, going 33-14 in the contests with the narrowest margins. That might not be replicable for 2024 and beyond, but it was still impressive in 2023. — McCullough
Backstory
In the AL, Hyde received 27 first-place votes, finishing first with 144 points. Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy finished second with three first-place votes.
Hyde, who was the runner-up to Terry Francona in 2022, is the ninth MLB Manager of the Year Award winner who did not play in the major leagues.
In the NL, Schumaker received eight first-place votes, finishing first with 72 points. Craig Counsell, who managed the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023, finished second with 51 points.
Schumaker is the fourth Marlins manager to win this award, joining Jack McKeon (2003), Joe Girardi (2006) and Don Mattingly (2020).
Required reading
(Photo: Tommy Gilligan / USA Today)
