Philadelphia Phillies' Charlie Manuel Deserves Manager of the Year Award

Somehow, through four division titles, two pennants and a World Series championship, Charlie Manuel has never won the Manager of the Year Award. This year should finally change that.

The 67-year-old Phillies skipper has never received more than eight first-place votes through this stretch run in which his team has continuously been the driving force in the National League. So what is the reason behind this seemingly unjustifiable lack of respect for Manuel? There are probably a variety of reasons. 

For starters, in the four years in which Manuel had a shot at the award, there were several other candidates who posed serious competition.

In 2007, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin guided his team from their last place 2006 finish to an NL West division crown. Manuel's team made a historic comeback, and brought postseason baseball back to Philadelphia for the first time in 14 years. But it just wasn't enough to edge out Melvin's worst to first season.

In 2008, the top prize went to Chicago's Lou Pinella. It was a close call, but ultimately, Pinella's team had the better record, and he was rewarded for it.

Manuel had no shot in 2009 and 2010, despite having the best record in the league both years. He received no votes in 2009, when Colorado's Jim Tracey took home the award, and just one in 2010, when Bud Black received the honor. While these managers were certainly merited for the award, Manuel seems to have received the short end of the stick every single year.  

Perhaps the problem lies in the voters themselves. Maybe the Baseball Writers Association of America does not share the same respect for Manuel held by the people of Philadelphia. It's no secret that Manuel is not the best speaker in the world. It's rare for a sentence to pass by in a press conference without him throwing in an, "um," or a "you know, like."

This often makes Manuel sound incoherent, uninformed, and occasionally clueless. But it's evident that the Phillies players admire Manuel for his loyalty, and his abundant knowledge of the game, and after the success he's had, he unequivocally has an astute baseball mind.

Another contributing factor to Manuel's misfortunes regarding the award could be the set-up of this current Phillies team. They have quickly become the NL's version of the Yankees, spending loads of money to get the best players in the game. But Manuel does not receive enough credit for the success of his players.

Over the past few years, the Phils have gone through several tumultuous periods, most notably in 2010, where at one point, hope of making the postseason seemed a bit unrealistic. Atlanta appeared to have built up an insurmountable lead in the division, and the Phillies offense seemed completely lost, having suffered several costly, deflating injuries. But by the end of September, Manuel's club had the best record in all of baseball. It still wasn't enough to win Manager of the Year.

So after four years of coming up short, Manuel should finally get the award he so exhaustively is entitled to. The Phillies are on pace for over 100 wins, and after 114 games, find themselves with a significantly better winning percentage than in the past four years.

The Phils have formed one of the best pitching rotations in recent memory, and they have all performed at or above expectations. The offense has been somewhat mediocre, but with the record as good as it is, that shouldn't matter at all. Philadelphia is truly in a class of their own, and Manuel deserves to be rewarded for their elite status. 

Obviously, Manuel is not the only contender. The Writers Association could choose Brewers manager Ron Roenicke, especially if Milwaukee holds off the competition in the NL Central. Pittsburgh is having their best season in a while, but having lost ten games in a row, manager Clint Hurdle's chances are fading fast.

Another candidate is Kirk Gibson of the Diamondbacks, who continues to lead his team to a potential playoff appearance, after a disastrous 2010 season. Of course, there is also Bruce Bochy and Tony LaRussa. But neither the Giants or the Cardinals have done anything remarkably surprising this year, so they don't seem to be obvious choices for the award.  

All of these managers have earned immense praise for the jobs they've done this year. But, Manuel has put together the type of consistent greatness that few coaches are ever able to accomplish, and for doing it, he deserves the title of Manager of the Year. It just makes sense.