It was basically a formality, but now it's official. Bob Melvin has been named as a finalist for the American League Manager of the Year Award.
Melvin, 57, led the A's to an improbable 97-65 record and postseason berth despite entering the season with the lowest payroll in Major League Baseball and suffering several season-ending injuries to starting pitchers. He was recently rewarded with a contract extension through 2021, with a club option for 2022.
Oakland's 97 wins were the fourth-most in MLB and represented a 22-win improvement from 2017 when the A's finished last in the AL West at 75-87. This season they finished second in the division and qualified for the AL Wild Card Game against the Yankees.
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SIGN UP HERE Melvin has already won two Manager of the Year Awards, his first coming in 2007 with the Diamondbacks and most recently in 2012 with the A's. He is one of just six managers to win the award in both leagues and could join Tony La Russa as the only A's managers to win multiple times.
Melvin is joined by Boston's Alex Cora and Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash as finalists for the award, which takes only the regular season into account.
In his first season as a manager, Cora led the Red Sox to a league-best 108 wins, marking a 15-win improvement from 2017.
Cash helped the Rays to a 10-win improvement, going 90-72 and finishing third in the AL East.
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The winner will be announced Tuesday, Nov. 13.