Rookie skipper Rocco Baldelli led the Minnesota Twins to one of baseball's most surprising campaigns, a homer-happy season capped with Tuesday's announcement that he had won the 2019 American League Manager of the Year award.
He narrowly beat out Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees. Both received 13 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America revealed Tuesday night, but Baldelli got more second-place votes. Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash finished third in the voting.
Baldelli, 38, had never managed before being hired by the Twins after last season to become the youngest skipper in the majors.