Moments after being named NL Manger of the Year, Cubs skipper Joe Maddon shifted praise towards his players.
He might be on to something.
Of the four Cubs managers to be named Manager of the Year, three of them have had a player be named Rookie of the Year the same season.
Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was named Rookie of the Year Monday.
3rd time #Cubs have had Rookie & Manager of the Year in same year
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) November 17, 2015
2015 - Bryant & Maddon
2008 - Soto & Piniella
1989 - Walton & Zimmer
Of Cubs managers, only Jim Frey, who won the award in 1984, did it without the Rookie of the Year by his side. He had something better, the NL MVP – Ryne Sandberg.
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Cubs fans should hope Maddon and Bryant fare better than Piniella and Soto.
Soto’s numbers dropped drastically following his award-winning season. His batting averaged dropped from .285 to .218 and his slugging from .504 to .381. After winning the award in 2008, Piniella was gone before the end of the 2010 season.
Other NL Mangers of the Year have suffered similar fates. Matt Williams lasted just one more season in Washington after winning the award in 2014. Kirk Gibson won the award in 2011 and was fired as Diamondbacks manager in 2014.
