Kevin Cash of the Rays was named American League Manager of the Year, making him the first in the AL to win the award in consecutive seasons.
Bobby Cox won the award in consecutive seasons with the Braves, in the National League, in 2004 and 2005.
This is the fourth time a Tampa Bay manager has been honored. Joe Maddon also won in 2008 and 2011.
Cash is the 16th multiple winner overall, a list headed by four-time winners Cox and Tony La Russa and followed by three-time winners Maddon (who also won in the NL with the Cubs), Dusty Baker, Jim Leyland, Bob Melvin, Lou Piniella and Buck Showalter and two-time winners Sparky Anderson, Terry Francona, Davey Johnson, Tommy Lasorda, Jack McKeon, Mike Scioscia and Joe Torre.
Runner-up Scott Servais finished sixth in 2016, the only other year he received votes.
No manager was named on every ballot.
Ballots, submitted prior to postseason play, were cast by two writers representing each league city. They are tabulated on a system that awards five points for first place, three points for second place and one point for third place.
2021 AL Manager of the Year
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Cash, Rays | 19 | 3 | 5 | 109 |
| Scott Servais, Mariners | 5 | 13 | 7 | 71 |
| Dusty Baker, Astros | 2 | 5 | 8 | 33 |
| Charlie Montoyo, Blue Jays | 3 | 2 | 2 | 23 |
| Alex Cora, Red Sox | 1 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| Tony La Russa, White Sox | 4 | 3 | 15 | |
| AJ Hinch, Tigers | 3 | 3 |
Below is a breakdown of the 30 individual ballots, submitted by two writers representing each city in the American League. For more information on the voting, see our Voting FAQ.
| Name | Affiliation | Chapter | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rich Dubroff | BaltimoreBaseball.com | BAL | Servais | La Russa | Cash |
| Dave Ginsburg | Associated Press | BAL | Servais | La Russa | Cash |
| Ian Browne | MLB.com | BOS | Cash | Cora | Servais |
| Chris Cotillo | MassLive | BOS | Cash | Servais | Cora |
| Scott Merkin | MLB.com | CHI | Cash | La Russa | Servais |
| Scot Gregor | Daily Herald | CHI | Baker | Montoyo | Servais |
| Tom Withers | Associated Press | CLE | Servais | Cash | Montoyo |
| Joe Noga | cleveland.com | CLE | Servais | Baker | Cash |
| Jon Paul Morosi | MLB.com | DET | Baker | Cash | Servais |
| Chris McCosky | Detroit News | DET | Cash | Servais | Hinch |
| Brian McTaggart | MLB.com | HOU | Cash | Servais | Hinch |
| Jesus Ortiz | Our Esquina | HOU | Cash | Baker | La Russa |
| Sam Mellinger | KC Star | KC | Cash | Servais | Baker |
| Alec Lewis | The Athletic | KC | Cash | Servais | Hinch |
| Sam Blum | The Athletic | LA | Cash | Servais | La Russa |
| Jim Alexander | Southern California News Group | LA | Montoyo | Servais | La Russa |
| La Velle Neal III | Minneapolis Star Tribune | MIN | Cash | Servais | Baker |
| Dave Campbell | Associated Press | MIN | Montoyo | Servais | Baker |
| Pete Caldera | Bergen Record | NY | Cash | Cora | Baker |
| Ken Davidoff | New York Post | NY | Cora | Cash | Baker |
| Josh Dubow | Associated Press | OAK | Cash | Servais | Baker |
| Shayna Rubin | Bay Area News Group | OAK | Cash | Servais | Baker |
| Shiho Sasaki | Jiji Press | SEA | Cash | Servais | Baker |
| Maury Brown | Forbes | SEA | Servais | Baker | Cash |
| John Romano | Tampa Bay Times | TB | Cash | Baker | Servais |
| Mark Didtler | AP Freelance Writer | TB | Cash | Cora | Montoyo |
| Jeff Wilson | Jeff Wilson’s Texas Rangers Newsletter | TEX | Cash | Baker | Servais |
| TR Sullivan | At-Large | TEX | Cash | La Russa | Servais |
| Mike Wilner | Toronto Star | TOR | Montoyo | Servais | Cash |
| Mike Harrington | Buffalo News | TOR | Cash | Montoyo | Cora |