Best skipper? Bocy's credentials Hall of Fame worthy
It seems silly to be predicting the manager of the year award before the season starts because this honor is based on team performance.
It's much easier to predict that Clayton Kershaw will win the Cy Young or that Kris Bryant will be rookie of the year.
So what we'll try to do here is a hybrid approach, going with whom we feel are the best National League managers and letting the manager of the year award flow from that.
Here's how I rank 'em:
Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants:
Last year's World Series victory over the Royals probably punched Bochy's ticket to Cooperstown.
This former catcher knows the game inside and out - and his low-key personality is perfect for the day-to-day grind of a long baseball season. Win a few in a row? Don't get too excited. Lose four or five straight? Don't panic. That's Bochy.
Bochy is the 10th major-league manager to win three World Series, and he joins nine Hall of Fame managers to have done it.
He also won a pennant with the San Diego Padres, and I never quite understood why that franchise would let him get away. But as we'll see, the Padres are in pretty good hands nowadays, too.
Bud Black, San Diego Padres:
The former big-league lefty is 617-680 as manager of the Padres. His team was 77-85 last year, and Black-led teams have not enjoyed a winning season since 2010.
Yet he's considered one of the better managers in the game.
As Baseball Prospectus points out, Black is on his fourth general manager in San Diego, including Jed Hoyer, who today has that title with the Cubs.
"A closer look reveals why many industry folk adore Black," BP writes. "Whether it's his California cool personality, allowing him to relate to the modern player, or his willingness to eschew tradition in favor of logic ... it's easy to wonder just how good he would be with a better roster at his disposal."
If the Padres contend, as many predict, Black will get a lot of manager of the year votes.
Joe Maddon, Cubs:
There hasn't been this much buzz about a new manager for the Cubs since the days of Lou Piniella, and before that, Dusty Baker.
Maddon got the low-budget Rays to the World Series in 2008, and he's won industry-wide respect for the job he did in Tampa Bay. If the Cubs can push themselves over the .500 mark this year, Maddon will be right there for manager of the year. Anything more, and you can start taking measurements for another statue outside of Wrigley Field.
Maddon is both old school and new school, and he's been a quote machine for reporters in Arizona. This should be one heck of a ride.
Honorable mention:
Mike Redmond has quietly built a nice resume in Miami as manager of the Marlins. If he can get the Marlins to the playoffs and survive erratic owner Jeffrey Loria, he could upstage even Maddon. Clint Hurdle has found new life in Pittsburgh, guiding the Pirates to two straight playoff performances. Expectations are higher now, so Hurdle will have to continue to deliver.