Blue Jays’ John Schneider second in AL manager voting

Of all the annual awards in Major League Baseball, manager of the year is the most arbitrary and it’s not even close.

Unlike a most valuable player, Cy Young winner or rookie of the year, ballots aren’t determined by stats. There is no wins above replacement category or on-base plus slugging percentage to remove emotion and illustrate who performed better.

To properly evaluate managers, eligible voters would need to watch every MLB game. They would require a full understanding of each roster, players’ health and all the scouting reports. It’s possible to follow a handful of clubs that way, but not all 30.

So, while voting for the other awards centres on advanced stats, manager of the year is almost entirely based on feel and vibes and rewarding the best narrative.

Blue Jays manager J