MLB Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles’ Buck Showalter Will Win 2014 AL Manager of the Year

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By @JordanWevers

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Getty Images

Bob Melvin would have been a popular choice six to eight weeks ago. However, the clear-cut candidate to win AL Manager of the Year should now be Buck Showalter of the Baltimore Orioles. He has done strong work with his ball club and rightfully deserves this honor bestowed upon him.

Other managers in contention would be Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals and probably Lloyd McClendon of the Seattle Mariners. However, both of their respective squads are still fighting for a playoff berth. Showalter has amassed a winning percentage of .500 or better in every month this season except April, when the Orioles went 11-12.

The Orioles are not shrouded in uncertainty when it comes to the postseason like the Royals and Mariners are. They hold a very comfortable 12.5-game lead in the AL East, the largest of any division leader in MLB as of Sept. 15. They will inevitably clinch the AL East division title in a few days’ time.

What Showalter has done with the Orioles is remarkable. He has kept them atop the division since July 4, never once relinquishing that lead.

When it comes to overcoming adversity and exhibiting managerial strategies, Showalter has had to deal with significant injuries to key players like C Matt Wieters and 3B Manny Machado. Closer Tommy Hunter began to struggle mightily in May, so Showalter quickly addressed his ineptitude by replacing him with former starter Zach Britton.

Since earning his first save of the season on May 15, Britton has blown only four saves across 51 innings of work. He has recorded 35 saves, good for the fourth most in the American League. His ERA over that stretch has been 2.12 and opponent’s batting averages against him are a paltry .180 on the season.

Due to Wieters and Machado’s injuries, compounded with the fall-off of 1B Chris Davis from last season followed by his 25-game suspension for PEDs, Showalter has had to be a master of shuffling his lineup in 2014.

Another thing worth noting is that managers like Yost and McClendon have a clear-cut ace on their team, with James Shields for the Royals and Felix Hernandez of the Mariners, respectively. Sending players like that to the mound every five games typically limits the manager’s involvement in the outcome. Showalter does not have that luxury, yet he has assured fans in Baltimore that there will be baseball in October. SP Wei-Yin Chen currently leads his squad in wins with 16, but his numbers are hardly extraordinary. His ERA rests at 3.58, ranking him fourth amongst arms in the rotation. His K/9 of 6.7 also is not overly impressive.

Baltimore was not very active at the non-waiver trade deadline, either. David Price and Jon Lester would have done wonders if added to a team like the Orioles, but it was unlikely either of their competitors would have traded those two pitchers within the division. Instead, management held firm in their belief of starting the season with a winning ball club. Nothing could be more true to date.

The Orioles have an outside chance at approaching triple digit wins in 2014. They sit at 90 right now, with 12 games left on the schedule. Showalter has been brilliant with overseeing his bullpen this season and has overcome a number of setbacks that were not present with the roster he fielded in 2013. Through it all, Showalter has his Orioles set to win what’s traditionally been one of the most competitive divisions in all of baseball year in and year out.

Jordan Wevers is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanWevers, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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