Days after mom’s death Shildt wins NL Manager of the Year
NEW YORK >> Mike Shildt began his life in baseball at his mom’s side, tagging along for her shifts at a Double-A ballpark and picking up odd jobs around the clubhouse.
When Shildt was recognized Tuesday night for the career that has followed, the late Lib Shildt was the first thing on his mind.
Less than a week after his mother’s passing, Shildt was honored for piloting the St. Louis Cardinals back into the playoffs, narrowly beating Craig Counsell of the Milwaukee Brewers to win NL Manager of the Year.
Shildt earned the award in his first full season on the job, even though Counsell received more first-place votes in balloting
by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Minnesota Twins manager
Rocco Baldelli won the AL prize in a tight ballot over Aaron Boone of the Yankees.
Both received 13 firstplace votes, but Baldelli got more second-place nods. The 38-year-old is the youngest to win the award.
Shildt, 51, teared up upon learning he’d been chosen. He is the first manager of the year who never played pro ball at any level. Of course, he’s been around the pro game since he was a child, when his mom took him to her job with the Charlotte O’s in the Baltimore Orioles’ system.
“Appreciative of the time and love she and my dad invested in me,” Shildt said.
Shildt replaced Mike Matheny as Cardinals manager during the 2018 season, and under his steady guidance, St. Louis has been among baseball’s best teams since. The club won 91 games and the NL Central crown this year, ending the franchise’s threeyear postseason drought.
“I set my sights on being the best coach I could be just like being the best player I could be, and the journey has led me here,” Shildt said.
Atlanta’s Brian Snitker was third after winning the award last year. The Dodgers’ Dave Roberts finished fourth, and Nationals manager Dave Martinez was fifth. Washington turned a 19-31 start into a World Series championship, but voting for the award concluded before the postseason began.
Baldelli and Shildt are the eighth and ninth managers to win this award in their first full seasons on the job.
Baldelli took over a team that won 78 games in 2018 and pushed them to 101 victories and an AL Central title. He worked tightly with Minnesota’s analytics-focused front office — a shift from predecessor Paul Molitor, who won this award in 2017 — and oversaw a turnaround propelled by the team’s major league record 307 home runs.