SportingNews has named Tampa Bay Rays skipper Joe Maddon as this years AL Manager of the Year. They also selected Kirk Gibson, who led an unlikely Arizona Diamondacks to a playoff appearance, as the NL Manager of the Year.
↵Wait... The Kirk Gibson? Like, this Kirk Gibson? Yeah, apparently.
↵Anyway, credit is well due Joe Maddon, winning his second such distinction from SportingNews, as his penchant for defensive shifts, keen usage of platoon and ground ball / fly ball splits, and progressive approach to bullpen management has been unrivaled by any other manager in the AL.
↵Despite starting his Rays career in 2006 with a dismal 101-loss Devil Rays team, Maddon now has an above-.500 winning percentage as a manager, sporting a .509 mark with the Rays.
↵Way to go, Joe!
↵NOTE: Does watching that Kirk Gibson homer remind anybody of Dan Johnson's little homer last month? Yeah, me too.