Davey Johnson Honored for Leading Nationals to 98 Wins

Washington Nationals

Davey Johnson, who guided the Washington Nationals to a division title for the first time in a full season in the history of a franchise that dates to 1969 in Montreal, was voted the National League Manager of the Year in balloting by the BBWAA that was announced today on the MLB Network.

Johnson, 69, placed first on 23 ballots from the 32 submitted by two writers representing each league city, second on four and third on four to score 131 points, based on the 5-3-1 tabulation system. The Cincinnati Reds’ Dusty Baker received five first-place votes and was the runner-up with 77 points. The other four first-place votes went to the San Francisco Giants’ Bruce Bochy, who placed third with 61 points. In all, six managers gained mention.

Johnson was the last of three managers for a Nationals team that finished the 2011 season with an 80-81 record. In his first full season at Washington’s helm, Johnson steered the Nationals to a 98-64 mark and the NL East title. It was the first winning record for the Nats in eight seasons since the old Expos settled in D.C. and the first postseason appearance of any Washington-based team since the original Senators lost to the New York Giants in the 1933 World Series.

The former Expos’ first-place finishes qualified for asterisks. They placed first in the NL East in the second half of the strike-interrupted 1981 season and were atop the division in August of 1994 when that season ended because of a players’ strike. The Nationals’ winning season this year was the first for the franchise since 2003, the Expos’ next to last season in Montreal.

Johnson was part of World Series championship teams in 1966 and 1970 in his playing days as a second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles and as a manager with the New York Mets in 1986.

This is the second time he has been honored as Manager of the Year. The other time was in the American League, with the Orioles in 1997. Johnson is the first Nationals manager honored and the third in franchise history. Winners in Montreal were Buck Rogers in 1987 and Felipe Alou in 1994. Johnson is one of six managers to have the won the award in both leagues, joining Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa, Jim Leyland, Lou Piniella and this year’s AL winner, Bob Melvin.

The voting (5-3-1 scoring system):

Below is a breakdown of the 32 individual ballots, submitted by two writers representing each team in the National League. Note that in some cases (*), when a city does not have enough eligible voters, a writer from another city will represent that chapter. For more information on the voting, see our Voting FAQ.