As one of the 30 voters for the National League Manager of the Year Award, I did not expect the outcome Tuesday night. I thought Craig Counsell of Milwaukee was the clear choice.
While Counsell did receive the most first-place votes, he lost out to Mike Shildt of St. Louis. And Shildt’s incredible personal story makes him a very deserving winner.
Shildt is the first Manager of the Year who never played professionally. His award stands also as a recognition of a life dedicated to baseball. Only eight men since 1900 managed in the big leagues without playing in the minors or majors (and two of them, Judge Fuchs and Ted Turner, owned the team).