I think few will object to the selection of Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor and Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo as AL & NL Managers of the Year, respectively. The Twins and D'Backs were the most improved teams in their respective leagues.
Molitor has demonstrated resilience in Minnesota going from nearly earning an AL Wild Card berth in 2015 to losing 103 games last year to earning that AL Wild Card spot. What is particularly remarkable is that the Twins played their best ball after dealing away closer Brandon Kintzler to the Washington Nationals and sending Jaime Garcia to the Yankees after only one start with the Twins after acquiring him from Atlanta. Molitor saw to it that the Twins didn't give up and they thrived.
Lovullo's turn around of the D'Backs is even more remarkable in his first full year as a manager. Of course, Lovullo cut his teeth as an acting manager with the Boston Red Sox in 2015 when John Farrell was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins' Lymphoma and many in Red Sox Nation wished he had remained in that capacity. So few here were surprised the D'Backs went as far as they did in 2017. This achievement has to be particularly satisfying for Lovullo. Unlike Molitor who reached the Hall of Fame as a player, Lovullo was a can't miss prospect who missed. But Lovullo found his calling as a manager and he has only just begun.
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