TTFB name Diamondbacks’ Kirk Gibson NL Manager of the Year; Rays’ Joe Maddon takes the AL MOY

NL Manager 1st  2nd  3rd
Kirk Gibson 8 2
Ron Roenicki 2 7
Tony LaRussa 4
Davey Johnson 1 1
Clint Hurdle 2
Fredi Gonzalez 2
Don Mattingly 1

NL Manger of the Year voting results

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson has been named the NL 2011 Manager of the Year by the Through The Fence Baseball staff.

Gibson, in his first full season as a manager, took over the team on July 1 last year after Arizona fired then-manager A.J. Hinch. Arizona almost broke the 100-loss mark and finished 65-97 last year. This year, Arizona almost broke the 100-win mark and with one game to go, stand at 94-67.

Kirk, known for his hard-nosed style, also draws praise from his players. He leads the team and he’s not afraid to stand up for them on a daily basis.

“If somebody threatens one of my players, I will always protect them,” Gibson said. “You can count on that. I know I’m an old man and everything like that, (but) I’ll stick up for my players.”

Gibson was a standout college football player and even was a nominee for the 2007 class for the College Football Hall of Fame. Gibson also broke an aviation record in 1987. He currently has one more year left on his contract.

AL Manager of the Year voting results

AL Manager 1st  2nd  3rd
Joe Maddon 6 3
Jim Leyland 2 1 4
Ron Washington 4 3
Joe Girardi 3 2
Ozzie Guillen 1
Mike Scioscia 1

Tampa Bay Rays manger Joe Maddon won in a close battle for AL Manger of the Year. Maddon edged out Jim Leyland of the Tigers and Ron Washington of the Rangers.

Maddon has been the Rays manager since 2005 and led them to their first AL division title in 2008, before eventually losing in the World Series. He led the Rays again in 2008 but lost in the ALDS to the Rangers.

Maddon’s postseason hopes for 2011 will go down to tonight and possibly tomorrow if there is a tie-breaker game with the Red Sox. He previously won the MLB AL MOY award in 2008.

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