The Baseball Writers Association of America announced that Guardians captain Stephen Vogt and Brewers manager Pat Murphy were named their respective leagues' Managers of the Year.
Both men accepted the award after leading their teams to Central Division titles in their first year. Vogt took over the management of the Guardians a year and a half after retiring as a player. He spent one season with the Seattle team as bullpen coach before Cleveland tapped him to replace future Hall of Famer Terry Francona. Vogt took over a team that had a much weaker rotation than the Guardians normally do, especially afterward Shane Bieber lost two starts in the season.
Expectations outside the organization were generally not very high. Cleveland still ran away with the AL Central. They built a nine-game lead by the end of June and didn't look back. The Guardians posted a 92-win season and played 16 more games than they did in 2023. They outscored their opponents by 87 runs, thanks in large part to the strength of an elite bullpen. Vogt's relief group easily led the majors with a 2.57 earned run average. The Guardians secured the No. 2 seed in the American League, earning them a first-round bye.
Voting for the awards takes place before the start of the postseason, so the playoffs did not play a role in these honors. Cleveland held its own by defeating the surging Tigers in the Division Series. They lost a five-game set to the top-seeded Yankees in the Championship Series. Although it didn't end as hoped, it was a much more successful season than most people imagined.
Vogt was able to easily win the support of voters. He secured 27 of the 30 first-place finishes. Matt Quatraro of Kansas City and AJ Hinch of Detroit were the only others to receive a first-place vote in the America League. Quatraro and Hinch took second and third place. Joe Espada, Aaron Boone, Mark Kotsay, Rocco Baldelli and Alex Cora all appeared on at least one ballot.
The story was similar in the National League. Murphy was at the helm in his first year. Like Vogt, he succeeded one of the sport's most respected managers. Craig Counsell moved on to sign with the Cubs, leaving Murphy in charge of a dugout for the first time since an interim stint with the Padres in 2015. Like Cleveland, Milwaukee's previously vaunted rotation had been thinned by injuries and trades.
The Brewers have had success with unheralded starters Tobias Myers And Colin Rea. Their bullpen was arguably the best in the National League. Despite defeat Devin Williams During the first half of the season, Milwaukee relievers led the NL with a 3.11 ERA, which overall trailed only Cleveland's point total. The Brewers outscored their opponents by 136 runs and compiled a record of 93-69. They essentially repeated their results from Counsell's final season, claiming their third NL Central title in four years.
Milwaukee's year ended with a bitter defeat. Williams' failed save against the Mets in the Wild Card round gave them a first-round exit for the second straight year. That's not a factor in the vote, of course, and it's not like anyone would blame Murphy for turning to his star in this situation, anyway.
Notably, Murphy is the first Brewers manager to receive this award. Surprisingly, Counsell never received this honor. As with Vogt, Murphy took 27 out of 30 first places. Mike Shildt of San Diego, Carlos Mendoza of New York and Rob Thomson of Philadelphia each received first place. Shildt and Mendoza finished second and third. Torey Lovullo finished fourth overall, while Thomson rounded out the top five. Brian Snitker, Dave Roberts and Oli Marmol also received votes.
