Bob Melvin Wins 2018 AL Manager of Year Award

Oakland Athletics skipper Bob Melvin has been named the 2018 American League Manager of the Year.

The award came in a narrow vote in which Melvin edged out the Boston Red Sox's Alex Cora and Tampa Bay Rays' Kevin Cash:

It marks the third time Melvin has been named Manager of the Year in his 15-year career. He won the award in the National League with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007 and in the AL with the A's in 2012.

The 2018 campaign was his eighth year on the job in Oakland. His club had not posted a winning record since 2014, although it had shown steady improvement in each of the past two seasons. 

Melvin's squad took a big step forward this year, besting their 2017 win total by 22 games. Despite having the lowest payroll in all of baseball on Opening Day, the A's went 97-65 and earned the second AL wild-card spot.

Oakland's season ended with a 7-2 loss to the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game.

The A's were able to use a total team effort to make the postseason. They had just one pitcher throw more than 116 innings this season, with Sean Manaea throwing just under 161 innings. As a result, Melvin opted to go with a bullpen game in the Wild Card Game.

Regardless of Oakland's one-and-done postseason showing, Melvin took a team that had finished last in the AL West in three consecutive seasons and found a way to earn a playoff berth.

Melvin has just one year remaining on his contract, although Michael Wagaman of the Associated Press reported in early October that the organization would explore an extension for the 57-year-old skipper this offseason.