Brandon Hyde Named Best Manager in AL by Peers

For the seventh time in franchise history and first since 2012, the Orioles have a manager named Manager of the Year by The Sporting News.

Similar to the BBWAA end-of-year awards, Sporting News awards are assembled by a survey of industry professionals where the votes are tallied and the person with the most votes in each category is given the award. However, TSN awards are voted on by the colleagues of those who are being awarded. For instance, Player of the Year is voted on by fellow players, and Executive of the Year is voted on by fellow executives.

As such, Brandon Hyde received the award for Manager of the Year in the American League from fellow managers in Major League Baseball. Of course, the “real” Manager of the Year award voted on by the BBWAA has yet to be announced but this recognition is enough to show that contributions by Hyde have been noticed in the greater baseball landscape.

Brandon Hyde took over for Buck Showalter after the 2018 season when the O’s cleaned house after a disastrous 47-115 season which began a prolonged rebuild in which the team lost at least 108 games in three consecutive full seasons including 110 in 2021. With this precedent, 2022 was an important season for Hyde and the Orioles to show meaningful progression toward competitiveness but no one expected the O’s to compete for a spot in the Postseason up until the final weekend.

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde was named Manager of the Year by The Sporting News.

O’s fans are well aware of the magic that 2022 brought to Birdland which has brought high expectations for the team heading into next season. Before this season, the O’s were 131-253 in three seasons under Hyde and the O’s improved the 2021 win total by 31 games from 52 to 83.

Other managers in the American League who had an argument for this award were Dusty Baker, Terry Francona, and Scott Servais. Unlike Hyde, all three of those managers led their team to a playoff appearance and Baker led the Astros to a 106-win season. Both Baker and Francona are veteran managers who already have a case to make the Hall of Fame as managers once their career ends and have led several teams to the Postseason promised land.

As of right now, Dusty Baker has not won a World Series ring as a manager but that could change in a matter of three to five games. Servais had a notable season as he led the Mariners to the Postseason for the first time since 2001 as they went 90-72 and beat the Blue Jays in the Wild Card round. Francona led a Guardians team who had little expectations to an AL Central championship and 92 wins as Cleveland was a win away from a trip to the ALCS. Of course, Postseason success does not play a role in the voting for this award but it is notable that Hyde was the only finalist who did not lead his team to the Postseason.

Looking forward, now that the O’s have shown that they are capable of success under Hyde, the expectations will be much higher going forward and Brandon Hyde will have to manage these expectations as well as a team with potential superstar players such as Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Grayson Rodriguez, and eventually Jackson Holliday. For now, however, Hyde gets to enjoy this hardware, and Orioles fans can enjoy the memories of a magical 2022 season that will hopefully propel the team even further in the near future.