The finalists for the official postseason awards voted on by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America were announced Monday night on MLB Network with Mets’ manager Buck Showalter being among them, as a finalist for the NL Manager of the Year Award.
Showalter led the Mets to the second-best season in franchise history and engineered a 24-game turnaround in his first season in Queens. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker are the other two finalists.
The Mets went 101-61 in 2022 under Showalter, reaching the 100-win mark for only the fourth time in franchise history and the first time since 1988. Showalter guided the club to an NL Wild Card berth but the Mets were defeated by the San Diego Padres in three games.
The Mets sat atop the NL East for most of the season, dropping the division title on the season’s final weekend to the Atlanta Braves. At one point in the season, the Mets led by as many as 10 games but the Braves played at a historic pace over the second half to capture the title. Atlanta went 78-33 after June 1, helping get Snitker in the running for the award as well.
The 66-year-old veteran helped bring some stability to the team in the second year of the Steve Cohen era. He helped create a culture of accountability that had long been lacking in the Mets’ clubhouse. He was often seen hanging out in the clubhouse talking to players and often remarked that he loved spending time in there, though he acknowledged that the locker room was the players’ room and he limited his time in there to give them the space needed.
The Mets are hoping to improve on the culture in order to attract other high-profile players and create an environment that will foster the growth of elite young talent.
Showalter previously won the AL award three times, with the Yankees in 1994, the Texas Rangers in 2004 and the Baltimore Orioles in 2014. The winner of the award will be announced on Nov. 15.
()
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment