Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell finishes second in NL Manager of the Year vote

For the third time in four years, Craig Counsell is the runner-up in the NL Manager of the Year vote. The award winner was announced today on MLB Network, and the award went to Gabe Kapler of the Giants, with Counsell in second and former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt in third. Kapler received 28 of the 30 first place votes, while Counsell and Shildt each received one (Nick Groke of The Athletic was the lone first place vote for Counsell). Counsell received 22 of 30 second place votes and 4 of 30 third place votes. He was also left off of 3 of the 30 ballots. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America has the full breakdown of the 30 ballots.

While Counsell had another great year as manager of the Brewers, it’s hard to argue against Giants manager Gabe Kapler as this year’s winner. He led a Giants team that wasn’t expected to compete in 2021 to 107 wins and the top seed in the National League. It’s a bit of a surprise that he was completely left off one ballot and didn’t receive votes from all 30 voters. Counsell will have to settle for second place again this season, but it’s a mark of consistency that hasn’t been seen in a long time for the Brewers. Earning votes in five straight seasons and finishing runner up in three of them is still high praise for the Brewers manager.

The Brewers still have one other award they are waiting to hear on, and that is the Cy Young award vote that will be announced tomorrow at 5 PM Central.