Two managed to surprise
NEW YORK — Bobby Cox and Buck Showalter were given little chance of success after payroll purges pushed out key players. Proving the predictions wrong, their teams won, anyway, and so did the managers.
Cox was voted National League Manager of the Year on Wednesday for leading the Atlanta Braves to an unexpected 13th consecutive division title. Showalter won the American League honor for turning the last-place Rangers into a contender after Texas traded Most Valuable Player Alex Rodriguez to the New York Yankees.
“Some of the fans probably thought we weren’t going to make it this year, but we did,” Cox said following his third manager of the year award. “I think I’m as thrilled this year as I ever have been with one single team.”
Coming off four consecutive last-place finishes in the A.L. West, Texas cut its payroll in half and wasn’t predicted to do well. But the Rangers rebounded and remained in contention until the final week of the season.
“I would have picked us the same place everybody did, too,” said Showalter, who won for the second time.
Cox received 22 first-place votes and 10 seconds for 140 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Tony La Russa of St. Louis, who has won four manager of the year awards, was second with 62 points after leading the Cardinals to a major league-best 105-57 record. Jim Tracy of Los Angeles was third with 52.
“I thought Tony deserved it, to be honest,” Cox said. “I would be more than happy to split that trophy and have both our names on it.”
Atlanta, struck by injuries to key players, was 33-39 after a loss at Baltimore on June 25, but went 63-27 the rest of the season.
“We were treading water for a good part of the season until we got everybody back and finally took off,” Cox said.
Cox won the A.L. award with Toronto in 1985 and the N.L. award with the Braves in 1991, the first year of Atlanta’s record run.
After the departures of pitcher Greg Maddux and sluggers Gary Sheffield, Javy Lopez and Vinny Castilla, the Braves were predicted by most to finish third or lower in the N.L. East. But the Braves wound up 10 games ahead of second-place Philadelphia.
Atlanta lost 3-2 to Houston in the first round of the playoffs. Despite all the division titles, the Braves’ only World Series championship under Cox was 1995.
“I’m not a real paper reader, and I don’t listen to talk shows,” Cox said. “Fans want to win. We gave it our best shot. We simply were pitched out the last ballgame.”
Showalter received 14 first-place votes, nine seconds and four thirds for 101 points, finishing ahead of Minnesota’s Ron Gardenhire, who picked up 11 firsts, 11 seconds and three thirds for 91 points.
Texas went 89-73, its most wins since 1999, and finished third in the A.L. West behind Anaheim and Oakland, three games out of first. The Rangers committed to several younger players after the 2003 season, and for Showalter that was crucial.
Showalter also won the award in 1994 with the Yankees.