Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable and Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy were named the 2026 Manager of the Year award winners in their respective leagues on Tuesday night. The honors were determined by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), with 30 members submitting ballots before the start of the postseason to evaluate regular-season performances.
Pat Murphy Makes History in National League
Pat Murphy secured the National League award after guiding the small-market Milwaukee Brewers to a franchise-record 103-59 record, the best mark in Major League Baseball during the regular season. Milwaukee also led the majors with a plus-214 run differential while capturing its fourth consecutive NL Central title. Because voting took place before the playoffs, Milwaukee’s subsequent World Series championship was not factored into the outcome.
With the selection, Murphy became the first manager in MLB history to win Manager of the Year in three consecutive seasons. He is also the tenth manager overall to earn three total Manager of the Year titles. Prior to Murphy’s three-year run, the Brewers had never had a Manager of the Year recipient. Bobby Cox, Kevin Cash, and Stephen Vogt are the only other managers to win the award in back-to-back years.
Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss finished second in the NL voting after leading his team to the NL East division title. Don Mattingly placed third after taking over as interim manager for the Philadelphia Phillies on April 28 following the dismissal of Rob Thomson, guiding Philadelphia to baseball’s fourth-best record over the remainder of the season.
Will Venable Captures American League Honors
In the American League, Will Venable earned Manager of the Year honors after leading the Chicago White Sox to an 84-78 record and their first postseason berth since 2021. Chicago achieved a 24-win year-to-year improvement following a 60-102 campaign in 2025 and a Modern Era record 121 losses in 2024. The White Sox became the first team in MLB history to reach the postseason after losing at least 100 games in each of the previous two seasons.
Since taking over as manager in 2025, Venable has overseen a 19-win increase in his first season followed by a 24-win jump in 2026. He becomes the sixth manager in White Sox franchise history to receive the honor, joining Ozzie Guillen (2005), Jerry Manuel (2000), Gene Lamont (1993), Jeff Torborg (1990), and Tony La Russa (1983).
Venable secured 15 first-place votes to win a close race over Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, who received 12 first-place votes. Cash led the Rays to a 21-game improvement and an AL-best 98 wins to claim the AL East title. Boston Red Sox manager Chad Tracy finished third after posting a 77-58 record and securing a wild card berth after replacing Alex Cora. Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt and New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
