As if there was any doubt.
New York Mets manager Buck Showalter was named National League Manager of the Year, becoming the first Mets skipper to ever win the award. It’s the fourth time Showalter, himself, has won it having won the award with the Yankees (1994), Rangers (2004) and Orioles (2014).
Showalter received eight first place votes and 10 second place votes to finish with 77 total points. LA Dodgers manager Dave Roberts finished second with 57 points. Atlanta’s Brian Snitker finished third with 55 points.
Showalter guided the Mets to their most wins in a regular season since 1986 by winning 101 games this past season. The Mets were in first place for a majority of the year until the final weeks when the Braves caught the Amazin’s in the standings and captured the NL East. The Mets were later eliminated by the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card Series.
Still the disappointing finish to 2022 did not dampen what was a tremendous year for Showalter and his Mets. He steady leadership and accountability turned the Mets into winners, and in turn, turned the club into “must see-tv” in July, August and September.
The focus for the Mets now is to figure out their starting pitching for next season after Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassist declined their qualifying offers. deGrom is rumored to be interested in Texas, but there is always a chance the Mets could swoop in and bring him back.
