MELVIN 1ST MANAGER WINNER FOR D-BACKS
Bob Melvin, who guided the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 90-victory season and first place in the National League West, was elected NL Manager of the Year in balloting by the BBWAA.
Melvin was named first on 19 of 32 ballots submitted by two writers in each league city, second on seven and third on three to score 119 points, based on the 5-3-1 tabulation system. Charlie Manuel of the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies finished second with 76 points, based on seven first-place votes, 11 seconds and eight thirds.
The Colorado Rockies’ Clint Hurdle, whose club won a wild-card berth in a single-game playoff against the San Diego Padres and eventually reached the franchise’s first World Series, received four first-place votes and finished third overall with 58 points.
The other two first-place votes went to the Chicago Cubs’ Lou Piniella, who placed fourth overall. Piniella, who won the NL Central title in his first season in Chicago, was a two-time Manager of the Year in the American League, with Seattle in 1995 and 2001.
Melvin, 46, who also managed the Mariners in 2003 and ’04, was in his third season with Arizona, which rebounded from a 76-86 record in 2006 to a 90-72 mark this year in capturing the franchise’s fourth division title. He is the first D-Backs manager to win the award. Buck Showalter, Arizona’s first manager, won twice in the American League, with the New York Yankees in 1994 and the Texas Rangers in 2004.
The vote:
| Player | Club | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Points |
| Bob Melvin | Arizona Diamondbacks | 19 | 7 | 3 | 119 |
| Charlie Manuel | Philadelphia Phillies | 7 | 11 | 8 | 76 |
| Clint Hurdle | Colorado Rockies | 4 | 10 | 8 | 58 |
| Lou Piniella | Chicago Cubs | 2 | 3 | 6 | 25 |
| Bud Black | San Diego Padres | — | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Manny Acta | Washington Nationals | — | — | 4 | 4 |
| Ned Yost | Milwaukee Brewers | — | — | 2 | 2 |
Previous winners:
2006 JOE GIRARDI, Florida Marlins;
2005 BOBBY COX, Atlanta Braves;
2004 BOBBY COX, Atlanta Braves;
2003 JACK McKEON, Florida Marlins;
2002 TONY La RUSSA, St. Louis Cardinals;
2001 LARRY BOWA, Philadelphia Phillies;
2000 DUSTY BAKER, San Francisco Giants;
1999 JACK McKEON, Cincinnati Reds;
1998 LARRY DIERKER, Houston Astros;
1997 DUSTY BAKER, San Francisco Giants;
1996 BRUCE BOCHY, San Diego Padres;
1995 DON BAYLOR, Colorado Rockies;
1994 FELIPE ALOU, Montreal Expos;
1993 DUSTY BAKER, San Francisco Giants;
1992 JIM LEYLAND, Pittsburgh Pirates;
1991 BOBBY COX, Atlanta Braves;
1990 JIM LEYLAND, Pittsburgh Pirates;
1989 DON ZIMMER, Chicago Cubs;
1988 TOMMY LASORDA, Los Angeles Dodgers;
1987 BUCK ROGERS, Montreal Expos;
1986 HAL LANIER, Houston Astros;
1985 WHITEY HERZOG, St. Louis Cardinals;
1984 JIM FREY, Chicago Cubs;
1983 TOMMY LASORDA, Los Angeles Dodgers.