Global InformationMidwest League Manager of the Year Award information
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| League | Midwest League |
| Awarded for | Best regular-season manager in the Midwest League |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Texas League |
| History | |
| First award | Walt DeFreitas (1947) |
| Most wins | Mark Haley (3) |
| Most recent | Brian Dinkelman (2023) |
The Midwest League Manager of the Year Award is an annual award given to the best manager in Minor League Baseball's Midwest League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers.[1] Broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives, and members of the media have previously voted as well.[2] The award was created in the league's inaugural 1947 season.[3][4] The circuit was known as the Illinois State League from 1947 to 1948 and as the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League from 1949 to 1955 before becoming the Midwest League in 1956.[4] After the cancellation of the 2020 season,[5] the league was known as the High-A Central in 2021 before reverting to the Midwest League name in 2022.[6][7]
The only manager to win the award on three occasions is Mark Haley, who won in 2005, 2008, and 2013. Three others have each won twice: Bruce Fields, Gomer Hodge, and Buddy Kerr.
Six managers from the Cedar Rapids Kernels and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have been selected for the Manager of the Year Award, more than any other teams in the league, followed by the Kane County Cougars, Waterloo Indians, and West Michigan Whitecaps (5); the Quad Cities River Bandits and South Bend Cubs (4); the Burlington Bees, Danville Warriors, and Great Lakes Loons (3); the Clinton Giants, Kenosha Twins, Lansing Lugnuts, Michigan Battle Cats, Peoria Chiefs, and Wisconsin Rapids Twins (2); and the Belleville Stags, Beloit Sky Carp, Bowling Green Hot Rods, Decatur Commodores, Fort Wayne TinCaps, Lafayette Red Sox, Madison Muskies, Michigan City White Caps, Quincy Giants, Rockford Royals, Springfield Cardinals, and Wausau Timbers (1).
Six managers from the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball (MLB) organization have won the award, more than any other, followed by the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, and Oakland Athletics organizations (5); the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and San Francisco Giants organizations (4); the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and St. Louis Cardinals organizations (3); the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, and Toronto Blue Jays organizations (2); and the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays organizations (1). Two award winners played for teams that operated as cooperatives of several MLB organizations.
- ^ Lantz, Jeff (November 9, 2022). "Minor League Baseball Announces 2022 High Class-A League Awards and All-Star Teams" (PDF). Minor League Baseball. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ Avallone, Michael (October 7, 2021). "MiLB's High-A Award Winners and All-Stars". Major League Baseball. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ "Midwest League Award Winners". Midwest League. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ a b Sheehan, Stephanie (March 30, 2022). "Then and Now: Midwest League". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Reichard, Kevin (February 12, 2021). "Minor League Baseball Overhaul Unveiled". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
- ^ "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.