Craig Counsell finishes second in Manager of the Year vote to Brian Snitker

The Brewers have never had a manager win the Manager of the Year award in their franchise history. Unfortunately, that will continue for at least one more year.

In the Manager of the Year vote released today by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, Counsell came in second in the Manager of the Year vote, finishing behind Brian Snitker. Counsell was on 29 of the 30 ballots, with 11 first place votes, 13 second place, and 5 third place. Meanwhile, Snitker was listed on all 30 ballots, receiving 17 first place votes, 9 second place, and 4 third place.

In his fourth season as manager, Craig Counsell led the Brewers to a 13-win improvement over 2017, as well as the best record in the National League. However, that was not enough to overcome what Brian Snitker did in his second season as manager, turning the Braves around from a 72-win team to a 90-win team and a NL East championship.

There will be two more awards revealed to finish up the regular season awards. Cy Young award winners will be announced tomorrow, and while no Brewers will be in the top 3 of the vote, it is possible that a Brewers pitcher may sneak in with a few votes. Then, the MVP awards will be announced Thursday, and Christian Yelich is the favorite to take that in the National League.