2025 Manager of the Year winners

Manager of the Year is a prize generally based on prediction. The voting members of the Baseball Writers†Association of America have traditionally bestowed the honor upon skippers of squads who defy preseason prognostication and exceed the expectations of the very writers casting the ballots.

Thatâ€s why there have been very few repeat winners of the honor: Once you win, youâ€re expected to win. Itâ€s pretty hard to exceed expectations in consecutive seasons.

So what the Guardians†Stephen Vogt and the Brewers†Pat Murphy accomplished with the acclaim they received from the BBWAA in Manager of the Year results revealed Tuesday night on MLB Network was really rare. Not only did these two Central champs double the all-time number of managers to win the award in back-to-back years, but theyâ€ve both done it in their first two full seasons on the job — an unprecedented achievement.

Vogt, whose Guardians team set a new record by erasing a 15 1/2-game division deficit and winning the AL Central over the Tigers, joined Kevin Cash (2020-21 Rays) as the only American League manager to win the honor in consecutive years.

“All the credit goes to the players,†Vogt said. “They kept their heads up, they didn’t get down, they kept their resiliency, and they never quit. We had every reason in the world to quit, and they never did, and I’m so proud of them.â€

Murphy, whose Brewers werenâ€t a popular pick to repeat in the NL Central but wound up with MLBâ€s best record, joined Hall of Famer Bobby Cox (2004-05 Braves) as the only National League skipper to go back-to-back with this award.

“I think it’s a statement for the Milwaukee Brewers, from ownership to the ivory tower to our coaching staff,†Murphy said. “Itâ€s an organizational award, and I’m very pleased to be part of this organization. I think one of the great accolades you can get paid is there is a brand that you think about when you think about the Milwaukee Brewers. There’s a way they play the game and a certain level that everyone’s held to and they want to please each other.â€

Vogt (17 first-place votes) finished atop a field in which Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who led Toronto to its first division title since 2015, finished second (10 first-place votes) and Seattle skipper Dan Wilson, who guided the Mâ€s to their first division crown since 2001, finished third (two first-place votes). Red Sox manager Alex Cora finished fourth with one first-place vote.

Here, it should be noted, as usual, that the voting was conducted at the conclusion of the regular season. So Schneiderâ€s role in the Jays†ascension to the AL pennant was not taken into account.

In the NL, Murphy (27 first-place votes) beat out likely future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona of the Reds (two first-place votes) and NL East winner Rob Thomson of the Phillies (one first-place vote). Francona, who came out of a brief retirement to help Cincinnati reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020, is a three-time Manager of the Year (2013, ‘16 and ‘22) who has now finished in second twice (also, 2017, in the AL).

Vogt and Murphy are now tied to the hip historically despite coming into their current positions at very different stages of their baseball lives. Vogt finished his All-Star MLB playing career as a catcher in 2022 and very quickly moved to managing at the highest level, whereas Murphy had a long tenure coaching in the collegiate ranks prior to working as a Minor League skipper and big league bench coach before finally getting his first full-time managerial opportunity in MLB in 2024.

Hereâ€s more on each winner:

AL winner: Stephen Vogt, Guardians

Given that Cleveland reached the ALCS last year, Vogt would have seemed a longshot at the start of the season to repeat as a winner of this award. But for the 2025 Guardians, the expectations were drastically diminished by their own play for the better part of the regular season.

After a rookie season as manager in 2024 in which he made success look easier than it is and was the runaway winner with the AL Manager of the Year honor, Vogt endured a sophomore year of struggles that nevertheless resulted in his Guardians coming out on top in the AL Central. Cleveland won the division despite being 15 1/2 games behind in July — the largest deficit a team has overcome to win a division (since 1969) or league (pre-1969). Even more striking, the deficit was 11 games as late as the morning of Sept. 5, before the Guards went on a 19-4 run to overtake the rival Tigers.

“I couldnâ€t be more proud of our guys and the resilience they showed,†Vogt said. “Everything thrown at them and more this year, and they didnâ€t let any of it get them down. We had to do what we had to do, and thatâ€s win every single game down the stretch, and Iâ€m really proud of our guys.â€

Beyond the standings math and an offense that recorded the lowest batting average in franchise history (.226), the Guardians also dealt with losing two key pitchers – closer Emmanuel Clase and starter Luis Ortiz – to non-disciplinary paid leave amid ongoing MLB investigations. The club also dealt Shane Bieber, who had been re-signed as a potential impact arm during his recovery from Tommy John, to the eventual AL champion Blue Jays at the Trade Deadline, yet had its best starting pitching of the season in the home stretch, anyway.

Amid all the stressors of the season, the 41-year-old Vogt, just three years removed from his All-Star playing career, preached calm to his clubhouse and displayed it with his daily demeanor.

“We ask a lot of our players and coaches and staff and we ask a lot of everybody,†said Vogt, “but we’re going to have a blast while doing it.â€

Previous Cleveland managers to win this award were Eric Wedge in 2007; Terry Francona in 2013, 2016 and 2022; and, of course, Vogt last year.

NL winner: Pat Murphy, Brewers

It had appeared the Brewers were headed for a transition period when acclaimed manager and hometown hero Craig Counsell left them for the rival Cubs prior to 2024. All thatâ€s happened since is that Pat Murphy, who had been Counsellâ€s bench coach and his college coach at Notre Dame, has led the club to consecutive NL Central titles and, now, taken home consecutive NL Manager of the Year honors.

Murphyâ€s back-to-back wins speak to how the Brew Crew was perceived going into 2024 and 2025. In both years, offseason departures made it appear Milwaukee would have an uphill battle. And in both years, the Brewers, under Murphy, blew past preseason projections and maximized their low-budget roster.

“It’s hungry players,†Murphy said. “[General manager Matt] Arnold brings me these guys I’ve never heard of, and he swears that they’re good and you know what? He’s right most of the time. These guys are hungry to play. They’re aware of what it takes, and I’m just proud to be part of it.â€

A 2025 Milwaukee campaign that some thought would be compromised by the loss of one of its best hitters in Willy Adames to free agency and its closer Devin Williams to a trade got off to a rough 0-4 start. The 47 runs the Brewers gave up matched the 1954 Cardinals†record for runs allowed through four games of a season. With six pitchers on the injured list, there was little reason to suspect a return to October, and the outlook wasnâ€t much sunnier when the club was three games under .500 in late May.

But Murphyâ€s Brewers didnâ€t just get hot; they got record-breaking hot. Between May 25 and Aug. 16, they had winning streaks of eight, 11 and a franchise-record 14 games. They went from an NL Central afterthought to the best record in MLB, at 97-65. It was the best record in Brewers history, and it sent them to the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years. The Manager of the Year voting was conducted prior to the postseason, in which the Brewers took down the second-place Cubs in a five-game Division Series before getting swept by the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in the NLCS.

The 66-year-old Murphyâ€s authenticity, tough love, attitude and humor — not to mention his pocket pancakes — are all viewed as assets.

Asked on MLB Network what he hopes his players would say about him, Murphy gave a great answer.

“Despite his manners, despite his directness,†Murphy said with a smile, “he cared about me.â€

Now, the only Brewers manager to win this award has done it in back-to-back years.

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