O’s Hyde, Marlins’ Schumaker voted top skippers
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David Schoenfield, ESPN Senior Writer
The Baltimore Orioles‘ Brandon Hyde was named the American League Manager of the Year on Tuesday, as the Miami Marlins‘ Skip Schumaker won the National League award.
Under Hyde, the Orioles orchestrated one of the most impressive two-season turnarounds in MLB history. In 2021, they were — once again — the worst team in the majors. They had finished 52-110, the third time in four seasons they had lost at least 108 games, and the second time they had done so under Hyde. The rebuild was trudging along very slowly, and winning seasons still appeared to be a distant dream.
Then, in 2022, the Orioles improved to 83-79. Most experts predicted some regression in 2023, believing the Orioles had put together a fluke season. Instead, they won 101 games to finish with the best record in the AL, won the AL East title for the first time since 2014 and won 100 games for the first time since 1980.
“I’m super proud of our organization and how far we’ve come, exceeding expectations the last two years,” Hyde said. “We had a great season this year. It’s been quite a journey and a long road, but I’m super happy to be a Baltimore Oriole and how far we’ve come in five years.”
Hyde outpointed Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers and Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays to capture the award, picking up 27 of the 30 first-place votes. Voting factors in only regular-season results.
In the NL, Schumaker, a first-year manager, took top honors after the Marlins reached the postseason for the first time in a full season since 2003. In a split vote that saw six managers receive first-place votes, Schumaker tied with Brian Snitker of the Atlanta Braves with eight first-place votes while Craig Counsell, now the Chicago Cubs‘ manager, finished second overall for his work with the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Marlins squeaked into the playoffs as a wild-card team in the final days of the regular season, finishing 84-78 thanks to an impressive 33-14 record in one-run games. That record allowed the Marlins to make the postseason despite a minus-57 run differential — the worst ever for a playoff team. Schumaker is the fourth Marlins manger to win the annual award after Jack McKeon in 2003, Joe Girardi in 2006 and Don Mattingly in 2020.
“I think we set a new standard in that clubhouse and now it’s time to protect the standard,” Schumaker said. “I told that to the guys after losing the series to a really good Phillies team and I just felt like the culture kind of changed. They know what winning looked like. They know what to expect now. After you get a taste of that postseason, you just want to get back there any way you can, and that’s the next step for our organization.”
The Orioles’ rebuild began in 2019 with the hiring of Mike Elias from the Houston Astros as general manager. He brought in Hyde, who had been the bench coach under Joe Maddon with the Cubs after previously serving as a minor league manager and bench coach with the Marlins. With a terrible major league roster, a farm system rated among the worst in the game at the time and the difficulties of navigating the AL East, Elias and Hyde knew the path to a division title wasn’t going to be easy.
“I don’t think you go into a season expecting to win 101 games,” Hyde said. “I was hoping we would build off last year. I was really encouraged by the second half we had last year. I felt like if we stayed healthy and with some young players coming into their own … that if we built off last year’s momentum, we could be better than last year.”
Indeed, the Orioles proved the critics wrong, improving by 18 games this season — through good defense, superb baserunning, an underrated offense and a great 1-2 punch in the bullpen (at least until closer Felix Bautista got injured) — and winning the division.
“We were dreaming of that when we started the rebuild,” Elias said at his end-of-season news conference. “It seemed impossible. You know, the people here pulled it together and I think it’s just a historic achievement. This group of players, regardless of where else they go in their careers and their lives, I hope the city of Baltimore remembers this group for kind of reminding the world this is Baltimore and we do baseball here.”
In those early years under Hyde, the Orioles focused on creating the right culture while hoping the wins would eventually follow once the farm system started producing better players, which it has. Adley Rutschman came up in 2022, Gunnar Henderson just won the AL Rookie of the Year Award, Kyle Bradish developed into a top starter this past season and rookie pitcher Grayson Rodriguez also looks like a potential rotation anchor.
With a young team and presumably flexibility to grow the payroll, the Orioles could be players in the free-agent market in the offseason. Hyde hopes some of those free agents understand what’s going on in Baltimore with a young, exciting team.
“People are going to see that they enjoyed playing here and that this is a fun team to be on, and we’re going to win,” Hyde said at the end of the season. “I would expect that we’re going to possibly acquire veteran players. That’s an important part of the clubhouse.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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