Rocco Baldelli took home the top managerial honor in the American League for 2019:
Rocco Baldelli of the Minnesota Twins was named American League Manager of the Year.
BBWAA.com
This election marks the second time in the AL and the eighth time overall that the award went to someone who was in his first full season as a major league manager. The Rangers’ Jeff Banister was the AL winner in 2015. The other six first-year winners were in the National League: the Astros’ Hal Lanier in 1986, the Giants’ Dusty Baker in 1993, the Marlins’ Joe Girardi in 2006, the Nationals’ Matt Williams in 2014, the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts in 2016 and the Diamondbacks’ Torey Lovullo in 2017.
It was a very close vote, as both Baldelli and Aaron Boone received 13 first place votes. Baldelli was the consensus second choice, however, gathering 13 second place votes to Boone’s nine. Four different managers received first place votes.