Venable and Murphy Named 2026 MLB Managers of the Year by BBWAA

The Baseball Writers Association of America announced its 2026 Manager of the Year winners on Tuesday night, honoring Will Venable of the Chicago White Sox and Pat Murphy of the Milwaukee Brewers. The awards are part of the BBWAA's annual recognition week, which also includes selections for Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, and Reliever of the Year. These honors are determined by a panel of 30 members from the Baseball Writers Association of America, with two representatives voting for each Major League Baseball city in both leagues.

Votes for these awards are cast between the conclusion of the regular season and the start of the postseason. Consequently, the selections reflect only regular-season performance, meaning that playoff results did not influence the final outcomes. The voting process ensures that managers are recognized for their work during the 162-game schedule rather than their success in the fall.

Pat Murphy of the Milwaukee Brewers was named the National League Manager of the Year. This marks a historic achievement for Murphy, as he becomes the first manager in history to win the award in three consecutive seasons. He is also the tenth individual to collect three total Manager of the Year honors. Prior to this year, the Brewers organization had never produced a winner of this specific award. Murphy completed his third season at the helm of Milwaukee, adding to his resume with this third straight title.

Murphy’s case for the award was built on exceptional regular-season statistics. He guided the Brewers to the best record in all of baseball, finishing with 103 wins and 59 losses. The team also posted the league's best run differential at plus 214. Milwaukee secured its fourth consecutive division title in the National League Central. The 103 wins set a franchise record and represent the highest win total in baseball since 2023. While the Brewers went on to win the World Series, that postseason triumph was not considered in the voting.

In the National League voting, Murphy was followed by Walt Weiss of the Atlanta Braves and Don Mattingly of the Philadelphia Phillies. Weiss led the Braves to the National League East title. Mattingly, who assumed the managerial role in an interim capacity after the Phillies dismissed Rob Thomson on April 28, helped Philadelphia achieve the fourth-best record in baseball following the change in leadership.

In the American League, Will Venable of the Chicago White Sox was selected as the Manager of the Year. Venable orchestrated a dramatic turnaround for the franchise, leading the team to its first postseason appearance since 2021. The White Sox finished the 2026 season with an 84-78 record. This represented a 24-win improvement over their 2025 season, when they went 60-102. The previous year, in 2024, the team had endured a record-setting 121 losses, a mark that stands as the most in baseball’s modern era since 1900.

Venable’s achievement is historically significant. The White Sox are the first team in baseball history to reach the postseason after losing at least 100 games in each of the two prior seasons. They had also lost 101 games in 2023. Venable took over the team in 2025, leading to a 19-win improvement that year, before guiding the squad to another 24-win jump in 2026. These consecutive surges in performance were central to his award selection.

The American League vote was closely contested. Venable received 15 of the 30 first-place votes, edging out Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays, who garnered 12 first-place ballots. Chad Tracy of the Boston Red Sox finished third in the voting. Other managers in the final standings included Stephen Vogt of the Guardians in fourth place and Aaron Boone of the Yankees in fifth.

Cash’s Rays also experienced a significant resurgence, improving by 21 games to win 98, which was the best record in the American League. They captured the AL East title after finishing in fourth place in 2025. Tracy, who replaced Alex Cora after Cora began the season with a 10-17 record and was subsequently fired, managed the Red Sox to a 77-58 record. That performance was sufficient to secure the second American League wild card spot for Boston.

Venable joins a distinguished list of previous White Sox managers who have won the award, including Ozzie Guillen, Jerry Manuel, Gene Lamont, Jeff Torborg, and Tony La Russa. The announcement concludes a week of major awards for the 2026 baseball season, highlighting the managerial excellence displayed in both leagues during the regular season.