MLB Awards: 2017 National League Manager of the Year

If you ever want a job where you are constantly second guessed, consider becoming a MLB manager. Which skippers did the best this season in the National League, and deserve to take home the Manager of the Year award?

During every MLB season, we find teams that surprise and teams that disappoint. The preseason is spent making predictions, and analyzing those offseason moves in an attempt to predict the standings at the end of the year. More often than not, those projections end up being incorrect.

Obviously, a lot of factors can lead to those results. Injuries, inconsistency, and dramatic performance swings, amongst other factors, all impact those final results. Teams can dramatically change their fortunes as players mature, or if they fill one of two holes in the lineup, or if their veterans suddenly age badly. Sometimes, it just takes a minor tweak or two for a team to reach its potential.

Whenever a team underachieves, the manager gets the majority of the blame. It is a part of the job description – making those managers some of the most second guessed people in sports. Rightly, or wrongly, they are criticized for every move that does not pan out. The wins and losses are all that matter. And in those wins, the manager rarely gets the credit they may deserve.

Which of these managers deserve the National League Manager of the Year award? Let us look at the top three candidates.