Mets' Terry Collins finishes third in Manager of the Year voting
New York Mets manager Terry Collins (10) speaks to the media before Game 3 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field on Friday, Oct. 30, 2015. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Terry Collins guided the Mets to their first National League pennant in 15 years. But it was longtime friend and Cubs skipper Joe Maddon who took home NL Manager of the Year honors.
Maddon last night became the seventh manager to win the award at least three times and the seventh to capture it in both leagues. He received 18 first-place votes and appeared on every ballot.
"It's really good to know that what you believe in works in other places,'' said Maddon, who won the award in the American League with the Rays in 2008, when they won the pennant, and 2011.
In voting conducted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, the Cardinals' Mike Matheny finished in second place with nine first-place votes, and Collins wound up third with three first-place votes.
Matheny guided the Cardinals to 100 victories and a third consecutive division championship. Just like Collins, he did so despite a rash of injuries.
No Met has won manager of the year, although Collins earned consideration. Under him, the Mets finished 90-72 and won the NL East for the first time since 2006. They did so despite a tidal wave of injuries that severely weakened the lineup for much of the first half.
Collins received some of the credit for keeping the Mets from dropping out of contention during their challenging first half. It allowed general manager Sandy Alderson enough time to retrofit the roster just before the trade deadline.
"I really felt the biggest hurdle we had to face was when we lost David [Wright] at the beginning of the season,'' Collins told MLB Network just before the results were announced.
The Mets gave Collins a two-year contract extension at the end of the season.
Maddon, 61, guided the Cubs to 97 victories, a wild-card berth and an appearance in the National League Championship Series. Success came in his first season in Chicago after the Cubs lured him away from the Rays, hoping that his influence would shape a roster loaded with young talent.
The Cubs had been expected to tread water in the NL Central. Instead, they reached the playoffs a year ahead of schedule, thriving under Maddon's quirky leadership style.
"It really speaks to our guys and our coaching staff,'' he said.
During struggles earlier in the season, Maddon brought in a magician to entertain his players before a game, all in hopes of keeping the clubhouse loose. In another instance, he was accompanied to his pregame news conference by a flamingo.
The Cubs bowed out to the Mets in an NLCS sweep, but voting is conducted at the end of the regular season.
Under Maddon, the Cubs went from 73 wins to 97 despite playing stiff competition in the NL Central. He drew parallels to his 2008 Rays team, "an untested group that had never really won before.''
In the American League, the Rangers' Jeff Banister was Manager of the Year. He became the first AL skipper to win the award, which dates to 1983, in his first full season as a big-league manager. Banister led the Rangers to an 88-74 mark on the way to a surprise run to the AL West title. He beat out second-place finisher A.J. Hinch of the Astros. Paul Molitor of the Twins finished third.
