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Does Joe Maddon of the Rays deserves the manager of the year award?


JetsFanFromQueens

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The Rays had a liquidation sale during the offseason; The curse of a small-market team with attendance issues, and lost most of their star players, except for the ones who are currently tied into long-term contracts and come relatively cheap for now.

Key players lost:

-Carl Crawford (LF): Replaced by a rookie LF in Desmond Jennings.

-Carlos Pena (1B): Replaced by Casey Kotchman, who's had a career year.

-Jason Bartlett (SS): Replaced by Reid Brignac, who's had an awful year at the plate.

-Willy Aybar (DH): Should have been replaced by Manny Ramirez, who retired and quit on the team not even a month into the season.

-Matt Garza (SP): Replaced by a rookie SP in Jeremy Hellickson.

Bullpen pitchers lost:

Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit and Rafael Soriano (closer); This was only one of the most potent 7-8-9 punches in all of baseball. Maddon and the Rays also lost relief pitchers such as Wheeler, and Cormier, etc. His bullpen was completely depleted and had to start from scratch.

Yet, these Rays, are in possible position, to once again, make the playoffs under Joe Maddon with a payroll worth only $40 Million dollars; which is next to last in all of baseball. They've lost over 30 million in payroll when compared to last years Rays team who won the AL East with 96 wins last season. They could end up winning 91 games with a victory tonight.

On a side note, how are all these former Rays faring with their new teams? Most definitely worse than what they've done with Maddon and the Rays correct? Some of these players became stars in the Maddon system, but yet, they are barely recognizable in their new systems.

I'm not sure how any manager deserves manager of the year over Joe Maddon. This season is nothing short of a miracle. It seems as if "the system" just works, and Maddon has implemented it since day one. Does any manager deserve the award this year, more than Maddon of the Rays?

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Possibly, but keep in mind, if they make the playoffs more credit goes to the Sox collapse, not their play.

You have got to be kidding me.

Yes, the Red Sox have fell apart in an epic way, but the Rays have played outstanding baseball during the month of September. If not for the Rays, the Red Sox losing games wouldn't have mattered to begin with. The Rays have gone 16-10 overall and 6-1 against the Red Sox during the month of September. The Red Sox have played horrible baseball for a month, but the Rays are the reason why the Red Sox are in danger of missing the playoffs.

So, more credit goes to the Red Sox for losing games, instead of the Rays winning games in MUST WIN types of situations? What, the Rays winning 90-91 games, with the 'next to lowest payroll in all of baseball' doesn't deseve any type of major credit?

Without the Rays going 6-1 against Boston during the month of September... The Red Sox wouldn't be in this position as of right now. They'd be a lock for the playoffs.

The Rays also started off 0-6 and 1-8... Which makes it that much more impressive, that they're even in contension to have a CHANCE for 91 wins tonight, inside of the toughest division in baseball.

Don't blame the Rays for winning. Because that's all they've done since their 1-8 start... Which has been winning games. Since starting off 1-8, they've gone 89-63, 26 games above .500.

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Red Sox don't collapse, the Rays are irrelevant like they were for 3 months of the season.

Give him MOY, whatever, who gives a crap about that award. But the fact of the matter is... the Red Sox historic collapse is the main reason the Rays are even in contention.

Nonsense. Tampa's record would put them in second place in any division in baseball. Sure, they'd be third in the east without Boston's collapse, but getting that many wins out of a team that was gutted after last season was a hell of a job by the manager.

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