Jeff Banister Named AL Manager of the Year

Jeff Banister batted .1000 in his oh-so brief career as a major-league player. He’s enjoying similar success as a manager.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America selected Banister as the 2015 Manager of the Year.

The rookie skipper took Texas from worst to first in the AL West this season. The team improved by 21 games over last season and overcame injuries to numerous key players, including pitcher Yu Darvish. The Rangers lost 3-2 to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS.

“All the things that I’ve been through in my lifetime—and there were a lot of times that I asked why—well, there were times this year that I knew exactly why,” the cancer survivor noted. “It was so that I could give another group of people some thoughts, some ideas, some toughness and some motivation to continue to press forward.”

Banister received 17 first-place ballots. A.J. Hinch of the Houston Astros placed second with eight votes. Minnesota’s Paul Molitor, Toronto’s John Gibbons, and New York’s Joe Girardi also received first-place votes.