Kirk Gibson Is Top NL Manager: Why Arizona Will Be Best in West Next Year

When Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson was named NL Manager of the Year earlier Wednesday by MLB and the Baseball Writers' Association of America, the announcement finally capped off a successful 2011 campaign by the D-backs.

As I had suggested last month, Kirk Gibson was really a shoo-in for this award.

Gibson won by a landslide, racking up 152 points to 92 for second place Milwaukee Brewers manager Ron Roenicke. Gibson received 28 first-place votes, while Roenicke received three and retiring St. Louis Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa got one.

Gibson turned the Diamondbacks from a last-place NL West squad into a first-place NL West powerhouse.

As the D-backs head into the 2012 season, they are not only poised to repeat as NL West champions, but they are poised to go to the NLCS and maybe even the World Series.

Here are the top five reasons why the 2012 Arizona Diamondbacks will return to the postseason next year.

No. 5: 2011 Manager of the Year Kirk Gibson Will Be Back

Nov. 16 is truly Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson's day. Gibson is the second Arizona manager to have won the award in franchise history after Bob Melvin's win in 2007.

By the time 2012 rolls around, Gibson will have been spending the offseason devising ways to make his Diamondbacks serious NL pennant contenders.

The Diamondbacks have already done the hard part—they have already gone from worst to first, and they have already experienced a heartbreaking NLDS loss in their first postseason under Gibson.

When Arizona comes back for their 2012 campaign, Gibson will be right there to lead his team. He is a respected manager and will look to improve on the Diamondbacks' 29-game improvement from 2010-11 by finally winning an NLDS and possibly NLCS, too.

No. 4: They Can Play on the Road

While four NL West teams suffered from the chronic problem of not being able to win on the road in 2011, the Arizona Diamondbacks did not.

Arizona was the only NL West squad to post a winning record while playing on the road as well as playing at home. Not even the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers had a winning road record in 2011.

Some might accuse Arizona of coming from a weaker division to get to the postseason, but the Diamondbacks posted winning records against NL East and NL Central teams in addition to the NL West.

The AL champion Texas Rangers were an even .500 against AL East foes and the Detroit Tigers were 18-18 against the AL West. In the National League, the wild-card team in St. Louis Cardinals actually had a losing record against the NL West.

Even though winning all over the map isn't a postseason prerequisite, the Diamondbacks pass the inter-divisional litmus test with gusto. Arizona even had a winning record in interleague play, something the Milwaukee Brewers were not fortunate enough to experience.

No. 3: Overcoming Adversity and the Fighters' Mentality

Some might say Arizona's worst-to-first performance could be considered an instance of overcoming adversity, but the Diamondbacks have fought tougher battles than that.

Sure, San Francisco lost Buster Posey to injury and the Padres are breaking things off with Heath Bell. As Arizona anticipates the return of the injured Stephen Drew, it is clear that all teams must overcome adversity throughout the course of the season.

Drew and pitchers Juan Gutierrez and Jason Marquis all experienced season-ending injuries, but the Diamondbacks were able to pick them up and replicate their success.

No. 2: Development of the Arizona Pitching Staff

The only reason Diamondbacks ace Ian Kennedy will not win the 2011 NL Cy Young Award is 6'3" and wears Los Angeles Dodgers blue.

Without Clayton Kershaw, Kennedy would be a lock for the NL Cy Young, throwing 233.1 innings for an exceptional 21-4 record and a WHIP of only 1.09.

Kennedy is certainly the ace of the staff, but he is not the only Diamondbacks pitcher who has seen success. Daniel Hudson won 16 games of his own and 29-year-old Micah Owings finished up with an 8-0 record, earning the occasional win in relief.

Closer J.J. Putz shut down the opposition with 45 saves in 49 chances, striking out 61 batters in just 58.0 innings of work.

The Diamondbacks have the pitching tools to repeat their success.

No. 1: Keeping the Momentum Intact

The Diamondbacks came from behind to win 48 games in 2011, with 18 game-winners in their last at-bat and eight walk-off wins.

From the tatted Ryan Roberts to grand-slammin' Paul Goldschmidt, the 2011 Arizona Diamondbacks were full of characters, heroes and fan favorites.

Speaking of grand slams, the Diamondbacks are in the midst of one of the most improbable streaks in MLB history.

By hitting a grand slam in each of their last four home games, the Diamondbacks have done something that won't be seen again for another 522,536 games. The improbable streak of four consecutive home games with a grand slam is still active and will greet the D-backs when they return to Chase Field in 2012.

All in all, GM Kevin Towers likes what he sees and does not appear to be actively pursuing any free agents this offseason.

For the 40 men on the extended roster, that's just fine. The Diamondbacks had wonderful team chemistry in 2011 and by keeping that intact for another year, the Diamondbacks should expect to expand on their success.

That is why the 2012 Diamondbacks will repeat as NL West champs. They have momentum and Towers is not about to let any of it go.

The 2012 team will be looking for its first postseason series win since 2001, when pitchers Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson similarly came back to finish what they had started in 2000.