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Indians manager Terry Francona voted AL Manager of the Year

By Casey Pazzalia

PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 02: Detail of baseballs during batting practice to the MLB opening day game between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on April 2, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 02: Detail of baseballs during batting practice to the MLB opening day game between the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on April 2, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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After leading the Cleveland Indians to a World Series berth, Terry Francona wins AL Manager of the Year.

The Cleveland Indians season was a resounding success. Although they lost the World Series to the Chicago Cubs, they still accomplished more than most people thought.

Today, Indians manager Terry Francona was named the recipient of the AL Manager of the Year award was. Francona won the vote soundly, scoring 128 points. Texas Rangers manager John Farrell came in second place with 64 points, followed by the Baltimore Orioles’ Buck Showalter and Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell.

Joe Girardi of the Yankees and the Mariners’ Scott Servais also received votes, but none of them being first place votes.

The Baseball Writers Association of America voted for the award after the regular season ended and before the MLB Playoffs started.

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Francona earned the award by leading Cleveland to a 94-67 record, good enough for the AL Central Pennant. Last year, the Indians only won 81 games.

Cleveland had to overcome a lot of obstacles to achieve their 2016 success. All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley only played 11 games and Opening Day left fielder Marlon Byrd was lost to a PED suspension. Starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar went down with injuries during the pennant race and never returned.

At the trade deadline, the Indians acquired left-handed reliever Andrew Miller from the Yankees. Francona used him in an unconventional way, inserting him in a variety of high leverage spots instead of the standard set-up or closer role. The move was successful as Miller was 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA in 29 innings.

In 2013, Francona also won AL Manager of the Year with the Boston Red Sox.

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