Astros' Hinch has strong case for AL Manager of the Year
A glance at the standings shows the Houston Astros still in control of the AL West, sporting a 70-57 record and a four and a half game lead over the Texas Rangers entering play Wednesday.
The remarkable turnaround of the Astros is a fine reflection on the work of first-year manager A.J. Hinch, and should easily put him in the running for the American League's Manager of the Year Award.
If the Astros hold on to their division lead and lock up a previously unexpected postseason trip, Hinch looks like a shoo-in for the award - an argument backed up by CBS Sports' Matt Snyder in his new piece rounding up the most deserving candidates.
Here's his reasoning why Hinch could wind up winning:
From 2011-13, the Astros won 56, 55 and 51 games, respectively. They did win 70 last season, but most people thought the true breakout for the Astros was going to happen in 2016. As things stand, their next victory will match last season's win total and they have a four-game lead in the AL West. This is Hinch's first year on the job, too, so he'll get loads of credit here and rightfully so. Should they win the division, my hunch is Hinch wins the award with ease.
The AL is loaded with strong candidates for Manager of the Year, including Jeff Banister of the Texas Rangers, Ned Yost of the Kansas City Royals and John Gibbons of the Toronto Blue Jays, but at the moment this is probably Hinch's battle to lose.
