It didn't take long for Terry Francona to be loved in Cleveland. From the day he took over as manager of the Indians, fans knew that he would be special.
Then came the players, one by one. Great additions, both on and off the field. As of this writing, the Indians are in contention for the postseason, sitting just four games back. Now that we are nearing the halfway mark of the season, is it a legitimate argument to put Francona up for Manager of the Year?
One early report says yes - MLB writer Jessica Kleinschmidt has Tito in her top four. Here's what she says about the Tribe skipper;
This year, his leadership role has taken over the Indians organization, and he has surprised a lot of baseball fans. The team is a little over .500 but that does not mean they are a team to play lazily against. Francona is doing a phenomenal job with a team many were not expecting much from. Mark Reynolds has been known to strike out often, but this year he’s been lethal at the plate with 14 bombs and 56 hits. Jason Giambi, who has his share of experience, brings leadership to the team in addition to Francona. Ubaldo Jimenez (73.1 innings pitched with 1.35 WHIP) and Mike Aviles (44 hits, 23 RBIs, .278 batting average) also add a ton of talent. Francona will be mentioned when it comes time to name a Manager of the Year.
Kleinschmidt's other three candidates are Mike Matheny (St Louis), Kirk Gibson (Arizona), and Bob Melvin (Oakland). All three men currently manage first-place teams (The Indians are in second place in the AL Central).
We'd like your thoughts - is Francona the frontrunner of these four because he's taken the Indians into contention, or do you have to manage a first-place team to get the honor of Manager Of The Year?
Read the rest of Kleinschmidt's article and see what you think of her discussion.
