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.”
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Max Olson
FRISCO, Texas — A dynamic new quarterback, a new offensive system and two projected first-round picks up front have Utah coach Kyle Whittingham feeling enthusiastic about the Utes’ chances of bouncing back from a disastrous debut season in the Big 12.
Utah was voted No. 1 in the Big 12 preseason poll last year after joining from the Pac-12, but a brutal run of injuries and inconsistency resulted in a seven-game conference losing streak and a 5-7 finish — the program’s first losing season since 2013.
After weeks of contemplation about his future and what was best for the program, Whittingham, the third-longest-tenured head coach in FBS, decided in December to return for his 21st season with the Utes.
“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note,” Whittingham told ESPN at Big 12 media days Wednesday. “It was too frustrating, too disappointing. As much as college football has changed with all the other factors that might pull you away, that was the overriding reason: That’s not us, that’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”
“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note. It was too frustrating, too disappointing. … That’s not us. That’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on going 5-7 in 2024
Whittingham and Utes defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley conducted a national search for a new offensive coordinator and quickly zeroed in on New Mexico‘s Jason Beck. Then they managed to land Devon Dampier, Beck’s first-team All-Mountain West quarterback, via the transfer portal.
After finishing 11th nationally in total offense with 3,934 yards and 31 total touchdowns and putting up the fourth-most rushing yards (1,166) among all FBS starters, Dampier followed his coach to Salt Lake City and immediately asserted himself as a difference-maker for a program that had to start four different QBs in 2024.
“He’s a terrific athlete,” Whittingham said. “He’s a guy that, if spring is any indication, he’s an exciting player, and we can’t wait to watch him this season. … He’s got that ‘it’ factor. He’s a leader. Needless to say, very excited to see what he does for us.”
They’ve surrounded Dampier with 21 more newcomers via the transfer portal and will protect him with two returning starters at tackle in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, who are projected first-round NFL draft picks by ESPN’s Matt Miller.
“We feel they’re the best tandem in the country,” Whittingham said. “The offensive line in general, I feel, it’s the best since I’ve been there. And that’s quite a statement. We’ve had some really good offensive lines. We’ve got two first-rounders and three seniors inside that have played a lot of good football for us. That better be a strength of ours, and that’s what we’re counting on.”
Whittingham has previously said he did not want to coach past the age of 65. Now that he’s 65, he acknowledges that he might’ve arrived at a different decision about his future had the Utes ended up winning the Big 12 in 2024. He is reenergized about getting them back into contention, but he’s not ready to say whether this season might be his last.
“The best answer I can give you is, right now, I’m excited and passionate about going to work every single day,” Whittingham said. “As soon as that changes, I’ll know it’s time. I’m just counting on knowing when the time is right. I can’t tell you exactly what the circumstances will be other than losing the fire in the belly.”
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Jesse Rogers
The automated ball-strike system is coming to the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.
MLB officials added the feature to the annual exhibition game knowing it could be a precursor to becoming a permanent part of the major leagues as soon as next year.
The same process used this past spring training will be used for the Midsummer Classic: Each team will be given two challenges with the ability to retain them if successful. Only a pitcher, catcher or hitter can ask for a challenge and it has to happen almost immediately after the pitch. The player will tap his hat or helmet indicating to the umpire he wants to challenge while any help from the dugout or other players on the field is not allowed.
MLB officials say 72% of fans who were polled during spring training said the impact of ABS on their experience at the game was a “positive” one. Sixty-nine percent said they’d like it part of the game moving forward. Just 10% expressed negativity toward it.
MLB’s competition committee will meet later this summer to determine if ABS will be instituted next season after the league tested the robotic system throughout the minor leagues and spring training in recent years. Like almost any rule change, there were mixed reviews from players about using ABS but nearly all parties agree on one point: They prefer a challenge system as opposed to the technology calling every pitch.
As was the case in spring training, once a review is initiated, an animated replay of the pitch will be shown on the scoreboard and the home plate umpire will either uphold the call or overturn it. ABS uses Hawk-Eye system technology which tracks the pitch trajectory and location in relation to the strike zone, providing an instant assessment which can be relayed to the home plate umpire.
The All-Star Game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday.
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