Venable, Murphy Named Managers of the Year After Historic Seasons Rewrite MLB Records

Venable’s Chicago turnaround

Will Venable won the American League award in his second season managing the White Sox. The club had been forecast to finish near the bottom of the AL Central, but instead won 84 games and secured a wild-card berth.

Chicago became the first MLB team to reach the postseason after three consecutive seasons with at least 100 losses. The White Sox beat the Astros in the wild-card round, then lost a five-game ALDS to the Guardians; their playoff-series win was their first since 2005.

Venable’s 2026 season added 24 wins to the team’s total from the prior year. In his first campaign, Chicago improved from 41 wins to 60, even as it lost 102 games.

AL voting results

Venable collected 111 points, with 15 first-place votes, 11 second-place votes and three third-place votes. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash finished second with 98 points and 12 first-place votes.

Boston interim manager Chad Tracy was the only other AL candidate to receive a first-place vote, finishing with 47 points. Cleveland’s Stephen Vogt, New York’s Aaron Boone and Houston’s Joe Espada also received votes.

Murphy’s historic Milwaukee run

Pat Murphy became the first manager to win the award for three consecutive seasons since it began in 1983. At 67, he led the Brewers to a franchise-record 103 wins and MLB’s best record, followed by a postseason run in which Milwaukee lost only two games and claimed its first World Series title.

The Brewers’ win totals rose each season under Murphy: 93 in his first campaign, 97 in 2025 and 103 in 2026. He took over after Craig Counsell left for the Cubs and sought input on the team’s playing style and roster personnel.

Murphy’s career record as Milwaukee manager stands at 293–193. One more Manager of the Year award would tie him with Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa and Buck Showalter for the most all time.

NL voting breakdown

Murphy earned 20 of 30 first-place votes and 124 points. Atlanta’s Walt Weiss placed second with seven first-place votes and 86 points. Don Mattingly of Philadelphia and Craig Stammen of San Diego also received first-place votes, earning 25 and 24 points, respectively. Dave Roberts, Craig Counsell and Don Kelly received the remaining votes; Kelly was the only manager of a non-postseason team to receive a vote across both leagues.