Top five American League Manager of the Year candidates

The 2023 Major League Baseball season is heading into the home stretch. Who will take home the hardware as the American League's Manager of the Year? Here are the top five contenders in reverse order (YB's NL Manager of the Year candidates are here. YB's NL and AL MVP candidates are here and here. YB's NL and AL Cy Young Award candidates are here and here).

All stats are through Saturday, Sept. 2.

5. Dusty Baker, Houston Astros

In his 26th season as a major league manager, Baker has the defending World Series champions primed for another playoff run. Houston currently finds themselves in a tight race with Texas and Seattle for the American League West, a division the Astros have won five times in the last six seasons. While this team isn't quite as dominant as last year's 106-game winners, Baker is sure to have them ready come playoff time.

4. Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays

Cash led the Rays to a historic 13-0 start to the season, and has Tampa Bay back on track after an ice-cold July in which they lost 16 of 24 games. The Rays have made the playoffs in each of the last five seasons, and with a big push in September, they could win 100 games for the second time in three years. As long as Cash doesn't pull his ace starting pitcher in the sixth inning of a crucial playoff game, they should be okay.

3. Scott Servais, Seattle Mariners

Last season, Servais led Seattle to their first postseason berth since 2001. This year, the Mariners look to win the American League West for the first time since that same year. After a mediocre start to the season, Seattle has been on fire in the second half. Their 39-16 record since July 1 is the best in baseball and has vaulted them to the top of their division. As of Sunday, the Mariners lead the Astros by one game and the Rangers by two in the AL West.

2. Bruce Bochy, Texas Rangers

After 25 seasons managing the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, Bochy retired in 2019 with four National League pennants and three World Series championships to his name. The opportunity in Texas this season was apparently too good for Bochy to pass up, and he's working his magic yet again. According to Stathead from Baseball Reference, the Rangers' .391 winning percentage from 2020-22 was the worst in the American League. In Bochy's first year at the helm, Texas is 15 games over .500 and just two games out of first place in the AL West. Their 75 wins this season are already their most since 2019.

1. Brandon Hyde, Baltimore Orioles

The turnaround in Baltimore has been nothing short of extraordinary. Just two seasons ago, the Orioles lost 110 games. As of Sunday, they have the best record in the American League (84-51) and only trail the Atlanta Braves for the most wins in baseball. When Hyde became the O's manager in 2019, he inherited the worst team in the majors. It was expected to take several years before Baltimore saw relevance again. But even the most optimistic Orioles fans couldn't have foreseen this quick a turnaround. Even if they don't win the American League East (their lead on Tampa Bay is only 2.5 games as of Sunday), Hyde's efforts in Baltimore's rapid rebuild are already more than enough for him to be crowned AL Manager of the Year.