Molitor's Manager Of The Year Chances

I agree with Jeff Sullivan (who picked Molitor before the finalists were annoounced) in that I think Molitor will win.

Go Paul!

I agree with Jeff Sullivan (who picked Molitor before the finalists were annoounced) in that I think Molitor will win.

Go Paul!

I think that would be a SHOCKER, but baseball needs that, and I would love it!!!!!!!

I agree with Jeff Sullivan (who picked Molitor before the finalists were annoounced) in that I think Molitor will win.

Go Paul!

I agree with you.  I am not sure what criteria is used and I like all of them but I tend to feel the manager that took his team from worst record in the league to the playoffs as having done more than the other two who had good teams to begin with.  

I have a hunch it'll be Hinch.

I have a hunch it'll be Hinch.

Funny.

Advanced sabermetrics show Molitor to be 11 WAG-E (Wins Above Gardenhire minus Ejections), whereas any one of us here at TD could have managed either of those two powerhouse rosters at Cleveland or Houston and won the pennant...thereby giving both Hinch and Francona 0 WAR-E.

I think Molitor should win. I worry that he won't, and that it'll be Francona. But given Molitor's pitching staff -- he had to use 36 pitchers! -- and the team's improvement in the second half, he should win.

Much easier to win games when you have a pitching staff like the one Cleveland uses. And a lineup like Houston's. 

Based on the results expectation formula that exists somewhere to make these determinations. 

 

It should be Paul. 

 

However... My personal choice is AJ Hinch because I like how he did it. He had a full roster of players to mix in and utilize. That is both an advantage and a skill that some managers don't possess. 

 

So I'm going with AJ but think it should be Paul. 

Yeah, AJ Hinch definitely had a full roster of quality players, but that's a result of the GM's work.

I think Molitor should win. I worry that he won't, and that it'll be Francona. But given Molitor's pitching staff -- he had to use 36 pitchers! -- and the team's improvement in the second half, he should win.

 

Much easier to win games when you have a pitching staff like the one Cleveland uses. And a lineup like Houston's. 

Or a pitching staff like Houston's.

AJ Hinch gets my vote. Francona gets my 2nd place vote. I am in the 2 game improvement from 2015 to 2017 park. Molitor is like the relief pitcher that totally blows the save in the top of the 9th, gives up 4 runs and the two run lead, and then the team bails him out in the bottom of the inning, scores 3, and he gets the win. This team never should have had so much to come back from.

Maybe I know and saw and remember too many things about how Molitor manages. The total mismanagement of what pen we had, the bunts, the blown double switch in LA that we all sat in the stands for 20 some minutes of WTF..... It isn't just won/loss record. A man that is still struggling so much with learning how to manage is not the manager of the year in my book.

Molitor won  or placed high in awards as a player.  A fine, storied organization like the BBWAA may have a lot of members still there from Molitor's playing days.  Some here may be too young to remember, or too old to,  but I seem to remember Molitor being very accessible to the press. Not that the fine people inside the velvet rope would have anything but high journalistic standards when voting.

20 something game winning streak to blow open the division race is hard to ignore. I think Francona.

Molitor was the one who most exceeded expectations, but is that enough to win the award? No idea. If I had to bet money, I'd put it on Hinch being the winner.

As TK always said, "pitchers can make a manager look smart. I'm pulling for Paul.

I wouldn't even have Francona on this list. I'd put Joe Gerardi on it. I think Molitor should win because of expectations. The over/under on the Twins this year was 73. They went wayyyyy over that and continued on even after they lost their big gun. Neither they nor the Yankees were expected to make the playoffs and both did. Hinch is a very good manager and will probably win because his team won the division and had the best record. So Paulie should win but AJ will win.

Will he win? Hard to say. Would he deserve to win? Absolutely!

Under the tutelage of he and his staff, we saw a lot of growth in the kids. We also saw a team compete, win, and make the post season almost despite their pitching at times.

I didn't always like or agree with some of his lineups and moves, but I saw the wheels turning and often understood what he was doing. I also saw real growth from Paul as a manager as the year went along. And his players seem to like playing for him.

As was discussed on the radio near the end of the season, Molitor has never been a manager, at any level, before becoming one at the ML level. I still think he's growing and learning.

Schoenfield predicts Molitor wins AL MOY.

http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/84575/judging-mlbs-award-finalists-who-will-take-home-the-hardware