Cubs Skipper Joe Madden Named NL Manager of the Year

Chicago Cubs skipper Joe Maddon was named the National League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America.  Maddon received 18 of the possible 30 first-place votes, 11 second place votes and one third place vote for a total of 124 points.  St. Louis’ Mike Matheny placed second with 87 points.

Maddon is only the fourth skipper in franchise history to earn Manager of the Year honors, the first since Lou Piniella in 2008. Don Zimmer (1989) and Jim Frey (1984) also won the award, as Maddon joins Frey as the only two Cubs managers to earn this award in their first seasons with the Cubs.  Maddon has now earned three Manager of the Year awards in his career, previously winning American League Manager of the Year honors in 2008 and 2011 with Tampa Bay.

Additionally, Maddon is one of only seven managers (and three currently active) to win this award at least three times, joining Tony La Russa (four times), Bobby Cox (four), Dusty Baker (three), Jim Leyland (three), Buck Showalter (three) and Piniella (three).  Maddon is now the sixth manager (and just the second active) to win the award in both leagues, joining La Russa, Cox, Leyland, Piniella and Bob Melvin.

In 2015, Maddon guided the Cubs to a 97-65 record, the most victories ever by a first-year Cubs manager and tied for the ninth-most wins in the 140-season history of the franchise.  The 97 wins equaled the most by any club Maddon has managed, matching his 2008 Tampa Bay Rays.  Maddon led the Cubs to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2003, as the club reached 101 total wins in 2015 (including four post-season victories).

Maddon is 878-794 (.525) in 10 full seasons as a major league manager (plus two interim manager stints) with the Angels (interim stints in 1996 and 1999), the Rays (2006-14) and the Cubs (2015).

Courtesy of the Chicago Cubs