MANAGER AWARD FINALISTS

Baseball’s manager of the year winners will be revealed today by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ( 6 p. m. ET, MLB Network). USA TODAY Sports’ Jorge L. Ortiz looks at the finalists, in expected order of finish:

American League

John Farrell Boston Red Sox

Farrell not only led a last- to- first turnaround under the intense Boston glare, but he also helped shape a formerly disparate team into a cohesive unit. He had plenty of contributions from new players brought in by general manager Ben Cherington, but it was up to Farrell to set the tone. The Red Sox went 18- 8 in April and remained in first place nearly the whole season.

Bob Melvin Oakland Athletics

A second consecutive AL West title for the 2012 manager of the year. This time, the A’s took the division lead Sept. 6 and never looked back.

Terry Francona Cleveland Indians

In his first year in Cleveland, Francona guided the Indians to their first playoff berth since 2007, finishing with the AL’s fourth- best record.

Clint Hurdle Pittsburgh Pirates

Hurdle was the voice of optimism and perseverance the previous two years as the Pirates unsuccessfully tried to break their string of losing seasons. In 2013 they broke through that 20- year spell of futility and made it to the playoffs, even advancing past the wild- card game and throwing a scare into the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Division Series. The playoff performance doesn’t count for award purposes, but the mind- set that got the Pirates there certainly does.

Don Mattingly Los Angeles Dodgers

After an injury- plagued slow start, the Dodgers went on a 42- 8 tear to win the NL West.

Fredi Gonzalez Atlanta Braves

Won 96 games despite losing pitcher Tim Hudson to injury.