Robin Ventura finishes distant third in AL Manager of the Year race

Posted: Nov 13, 2012 4:33 PM by Andrew Masuda
Updated: Nov 14, 2012 3:08 AM

Robin Ventura finishes third in AL Manager of the Year voting

The Oakland Athletics' Bob Melvin edged Baltimore's Buck Showalter for the American League Manager of the Year Award when the Baseball Writers' Association of America released its vote tally on national television on Tuesday afternoon. Central Coast native Robin Ventura finished third in the balloting with 12 third place votes.

Melvin received 16 of the 28 first place votes, along with 12 second place votes for 116 points. Showalter earned 12 first place votes and 16 for second place for 108 points.

Ventura, who graduated from Righetti High and lives in Arroyo Grande, led the Chicago White Sox to an 85-77 season in his first-ever season as a manager at any level. The White Sox led the American League Central race until the last few weeks of the regular season and were edged by eventual AL champion Detroit.

Melvin took a team projected by many to be a 100 loss team into a 94-68 squad that erased a 13 game deficit to overtake two-time defending AL champion Texas on the season's final day to win the AL West title. Melvin won the 2007 National League Manager of the Year Award in 2007 after leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to the NL West crown.

Showalter took the Baltimore Orioles from the AL East cellar with 93 losses to a 93 win season. The Orioles battled for the AL East Division crown with the Yankees until the second to last day of the regular season. The O's beat the Rangers in a one game wild card playoff on the road and then lost to the Yankees in five games in the AL Division Series.

Washington Nationals skipper Davey Johnson was named the National League Manager of the Year. He easily beat out Cincinnati's Dusty Baker and San Francisco's Bruce Bochy. Johnson, who turns 70 in January, was named AL Manager of the Year in 1997 a few hours after he resigned from the Orioles in a feud with owner Peter Angelos.