Buck Showalter had a very specific set of tasks for the New York Mets – bring the franchise back to respectability and reach the postseason. He did just that as the Mets won 101 games and were the fourth seed in the postseason.
That showing was not lost on the BBWAA. They selected Showalter as the NL Manager of the Year as he earned the title in a close race with several other strong candidates.
Buck Showalter makes New York Mets, MLB history
Showalter has already made his mark in Mets history. 2022 marked just the fourth time in franchise history that the Mets won at least 100 wins in a season, with their 101 victories their second most ever. This performance made Showalter the first manager in Mets history to earn the Manager of the Year award.
The historic nature of his victory did not end there. He is the first manager to win the award in four different decades with four different teams. Interestingly, this is the first time Showalter won the award in a year that did not end in 4 (Yankees – 1994, Rangers – 2004, Orioles – 2014, and now the Mets – 2022).
Showalter also tied the record for the most times winning the Manager of the Year award. He joins Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa as the only managers to take home the award four times, an impressive group to be a part of. Both Cox and La Russa are in the Hall of Fame, a destination that could one day welcome Showalter as well.
But he still has work to do on his resume. Those four Manager of the Year awards are impressive, as is his ability to bring all of those different teams to the postseason. However, he has advanced beyond the Division Series just one and was swept by the Royals. He will need to overcome his reputation as a manager who can bring a team to the cusp of contention, but cannot get them over the hump.
New York Mets manager Buck Showalter made plenty of history with his latest Manager of the Year award. It is another piece on his impressive resume.