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The MLB announced the winners for Manager of the Year in the MLB for the 2021 season on Tuesday night. San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler won in the National League while Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash won in the American League.
The finalists for the AL were Cash, Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker and Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais. The NL finalist along with Kapler were Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell and St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt.
Servais was close to even odds with Cash to win the award. The Mariners went from 27-33 in 2020 to 90-72 this season, coming a few games off of making the American League Wild Card game. Baker helped the Astros win the AL West and came close to winning the World Series. Cash helped the Rays finish with the best record in the AL and win the very competitive AL East division.
Kapler and the Giants surprised everyone by finishing with the best record (107-55) in baseball, beating out the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West. Shildt, who is no longer the manager of the Cardinals after being fired soon after the team lost the NL Wild Card game, helped St. Louis make the postseason after struggling most of the season. Counsell helped lead the Brewers to first place in the NL Central with a 95-67 record, losing to the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.