News
Cox finishes fifth in NL MOY voting
Veteran skipper's candidacy lifted by late-season surge
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
11/18/09 3:11 PM EST
ATLANTA -- Bobby Cox has announced that he plans to end his legendary career at the conclusion of the 2010 season. But at 68 years old, he can take pride in the fact that he is still regarded among the game's top managers.
Cox finished fifth in the balloting for this year's National League Manager of the Year Award, which was announced on Wednesday afternoon. The Braves skipper finished behind Colorado's Jim Tracy, St. Louis' Tony La Russa, Los Angeles' Joe Torre, and San Francisco's Bruce Bochy.
Tracy, who turned the Rockies' season around after assuming the managerial role on May 29, was the runaway winner, notching 29 of the 32 first-place votes. The other first-place votes were cast for La Russa (two) and Torre (one).
Cox was included on nine of the 32 ballots, receiving three second-place votes and six third-place votes. This marked the first time since he last won the award in 2005 that Atlanta's skipper received votes.
The late-season surge that enabled the Braves to surprisingly vault back into postseason contention in the regular season's final week seemed to help Cox's candidacy this year.
After being demoralized by the three-game sweep the Reds completed in Atlanta on Sept. 6, the Braves proceeded to win 16 of their next 19 games. Their playoff hopes were erased in the midst of the six-game losing streak to conclude the season.
NL Manager of the Year
| Manager | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Tracy, COL | 29 | 2 | 151 | |
| Tony La Russa, STL | 2 | 13 | 6 | 55 |
| Joe Torre, LAD | 1 | 7 | 7 | 33 |
| Bruce Bochy, SF | 5 | 3 | 18 | |
| Bobby Cox, ATL | 3 | 6 | 15 | |
| Charlie Manuel, PHI | 2 | 4 | 10 | |
| Fredi Gonzalez, FLA | 4 | 4 | ||
| Bud Black, SD | 2 | 2 |
Cox won the first of his four Manager of the Year Awards with the Blue Jays in 1985. He also claimed this honor in 1991, 2004 and 2005, marking the only three occasions that a Braves manager has won this award.
This year's NL balloting featured some of the game's most successful managers. La Russa, Cox and Torre rank third, fourth and fifth, respectively, on the all-time managerial wins list.
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
