Baltimore Orioles’ Buck Showalter Deserving of 2014 AL Manager of the Year
USA Today Sports
The Baltimore Orioles‘ 2014 season didn’t end the way fans would have liked. After an impressive regular season and a sweep of the Tigers in the ALDS, Baltimore found itself overmatched in the ALCS against the red-hot Royals.
But all-in-all, 2014 was a big step forward for the Orioles franchise. It marked the first time the team won a playoff series since 1997, and the third consecutive year of at least 85 regular season wins. It also marked the end of Buck Showalter‘s fourth year at the helm in Baltimore, in what has become a highly successful tenure.
Showalter took home the 2014 AL Manager of the Year Award on Tuesday, an award that just couldn’t go to any other manager. Ned Yost did some good things for KC and Mike Sciosia led a massive payroll to the best record in baseball — but the best managing job belongs to Showalter in Baltimore.
The Orioles fought through injuries to key players and won the always-tough AL East by 12 games. Even though the end result was bitter for Showalter, his team and fans, when you look at the big picture, it’s clear that the franchise is in a much better place than it’s been in years.
This is the third time and third different decade in which Showalter has won MOY (1994, 2004).
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