Molitor And Lovullo Claim Manager of the Year Honors
Twins' Paul Molitor and Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo win AL and NL Manager of the Year.
OMNISPORT
The Minnesota Twins' Paul Molitor and Arizona Diamondbacks' Torey Lovullo have been voted Manager of the Year in their respective leagues, the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced on Tuesday.
The Twins (85-77) had improvement of 26 games from last season and made the postseason for the first time in seven years.
"It's humbling," Molitor told MLB Network.
"An award like this reflects the work of the organisation and everyone who contributed to the Twins having a turnaround season."
Molitor, who was elected to the Hall of Fame as a player in 2004, is the second Hall of Famer to be named Manager of the Year.
He beat the Cleveland Indians' Terry Francona by 22 points. A.J. Hinch of the Houston Astros was third with 56.
Ballots from two writers in each league city prior to postseason play are tabulated on a system that rewards five points for first place, three points for second place and one point for third place.
In his first season, Lovullo helped the Diamondbacks improve by 24 games and make the play-offs for the first time since 2011.
After a franchise-worst 5.09 ERA last season, the pitching staff turned out a franchise-best 3.67 mark in 2017. Lovullo was bold on the basepaths as Arizona ranked second in taking the extra base while making the fewest outs on the bases.
Lovullo, who became the third Arizona manager to win the Manager of Year Award, collected 18 first-place votes, beating out Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts by 56 points and the Colorado Rockies' Bud Black by 68.
Cy Young Award winners will be announced on Wednesday, followed by the MVP on Thursday.