You don’t have to win a bunch of games to claim the NL Manager of the Year Award, but winning at least 90 games in a full season is the benchmark. Miami’s Don Mattingly claimed the honor last season with his Marlins going 31-29. Over a full 162 game schedule that equates to just under 84 wins. That was the exception and not the norm since the 2020 season was all kinds of weird. Now that it looks like some bit of normalcy has returned, we can bank the winner on a complete slate of games. While Mattingly took a bunch of no-names and came away with a winning record, I don’t think the Marlins are going to be in the running leaving Donny Baseball out of the mix for another award. And besides, there’s only been one back-to-back winner in the NL and none in the AL so that all but excludes him. Atlanta’s Brian Snitker won the award in 2018 and sits atop the odds board. Let’s take a look at a few of the managers who have value in the NL Manager of the Year futures market. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of odds and to make your wager.
2021 NL Manager of the Year Odds at BookMaker.eu
Brian Snitker (Atlanta Braves) +700
Dave Roberts (Los Angeles Dodgers) +800
Don Mattingly (Miami Marlins) +800
Jayce Tingler (San Diego Padres) +800
Luis Rojas (New York Mets) +900
Craig Counsell (Milwaukee Brewers) +1000
David Ross (Chicago Cubs) +1000
Joe Girardi (Philadelphia Phillies) +1000
David Bell (Cincinnati Reds) +1200
Mike Shildt (St. Louis Cardinals) +1200
Torey Lovullo (Arizona Diamondbacks) +1200
Dave Martinez (Washington Nationals) +1400
Gabe Kapler (San Francisco Giants) +1400
Bud Black (Colorado Rockies) +1600
Derek Shelton (Pittsburgh Pirates) +1600
2021 NL Manager of the Year
Winning games and having your team in the hunt for a division title and playoff berth are prerequisites for the award. Joe Girardi won in 2006 when the Florida Marlins went 78-84 and finished fourth in the NL East. It was a bad year for the senior circuit. Since then the winner has posted at least 90 wins and finished first or second in the division every year but one. Unlike the AL we have had a back-to-back winner in the National League. Bobby Cox won the last two of his four Manager of the Year awards with the Atlanta Braves in 2004 and 2005.
And that brings us to the 2021 favorite. Bolstered by a talented lineup, Snitker has done a marvelous job in his three full seasons with the Braves winning more than 56 percent of his games every year. You don’t have to win the most games in the league but like I said 90 is the minimum. The Braves won 97 games in 2019 and were on pace for 95 last year. They haven’t gotten worse which is why Snitker is favored.
The manager of the best team doesn’t always win either, especially when that club has dominated like the Los Angeles Dodgers have in recent years. Dave Roberts is among a trio of managers right behind Snitker on the list. Roberts is in the same boat as Aaron Boone in the AL. The Dodgers are the most talented team and will be in the running for another World Series title. They won 106 games in 2019 and were on a 116-win pace last year. Heck, even if the Dodgers won 100 games in 2021 would voters consider a manager whose team regressed?
For reasons mentioned above I can’t back Mattingly, so that leaves San Diego’s Jayce Tingler as a value pick among the favorites. Tingler took the Padres to the playoffs last year and more is expected this season with the additions of Yu Darvish and Blake Snell to bolster the rotation. And we all know what Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado can do. The only thing standing in San Diego’s way of a division title is the Dodgers. Should the Pads hit their projected win total of 95 and dethrone LA atop the NL West, Tingler is a lock for the award. That’s easier said than done, though.
There are some good value picks further down the odds board. The Cincinnati Reds lost Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer but they still have a decent rotation and are coming off their first winning season since 2013. Staying competitive in the NL Central is a boost for the chances of David Bell to win the award. Dave Martinez led the Washington Nationals to a World Series title just a few years ago and the club made a few notable moves to strengthen the lineup. Mike Shildt became a better manager when the Cardinals acquired Nolan Arenado and another division title puts him in the running.
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