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Torey Lovullo and Paul Molitor win Manager of the Year
Award week continued on Tuesday with Paul Molitor of the Twins and Torey Lovullo of the Diamondbacks taking home the Manager of the Year award in their respective years. It was a great year for both managers, with both teams exceeding expectations. I’m still not sure that using preseason expectations is the best way to judge a manager’s year, but A) I’m not sure what a good method is and B) both winners were strong choices who had good years. It’s obviously Lovullo who is of more interest for Red Sox fans, though. He, of course, is the former Red Sox bench coach who took over in Boston on an interim basis in 2015 when John Farrell left the team for cancer treatment. The team played great under him and many were hoping he’d stick around for when the managerial gig in Boston opened up. He didn’t do that, and no one can really blame him for not wanting to wait for his friend in Farrell to be fired. He jumped at the chance to coach in Arizona, and had immediate success with his new team. He’s a really great manager and is well-deserving of this recognition.
The Giancarlo Stanton rumors are a roller coaster
Tuesday brought a roller coaster of emotions for Red Sox fans who have strong opinions either way on the Giancarlo Stanton rumors. First, in the morning, Chad Jennings of the Boston Herald reported that there was a chance the slugger would not approve a trade to either Boston or St. Louis. Jennings acknowledges this came from just one source, but it was enough to spark some panic among those who are hoping he ends up with the Red Sox. That didn’t last too long, though, as Evan Drellich of NBC then reported that Stanton is keeping an open mind with respect to all potential destinations. I won’t pretend to know what is going on in Stanton’s mind, but it certainly seems like he prefers to play on the west coast, as he is a California native. That being said, if he really wants to get out of Miami he’ll probably find out that it’s best to be a little more open. All I know for sure is that I’m just about ready for this rumor season to end quickly.