Mississippi State Baseball Legend Buck Showalter Named NL Manager of the Year
Former Mississippi State Baseball standout Buck Showalter has been named the MLB's National League Manager of the Year.
Showalter received the honor after helping lead the New York Mets to a 101-61 record and an MLB Playoff appearance in his first season with the team. This is the first time that the former Bulldog has won the award as a National League manager, but he is a three-time American League Manager of the Year. He first won the prestigious award in 1994 while heading the New York Yankees, then won again in 2004 with the Houston Astros and in 2014 with the Baltimore Orioles.
Showalter played for Mississippi State as a transfer from Chipola College in Florida. During his time in the Maroon and White, he batted .459 to set a program record for batting average and was named an All-American. He was selected in the fifth round of the 1977 MLB Draft by the Yankees and played for the organization's various minor league affiliates for seven years.
Once his playing time ended, Showalter started his managerial career across multiple Minor League affiliates of the Yankees, even being named Baseball America's Minor League Manager of the Year. He rose quickly in the organization and made it to the MLB, where he was first tabbed as a member of the coaching staff for two seasons. From there, Showalter became New York's manager from 1992-1995 before parting ways with the organization for good.
Showalter took his talents to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a few years before stepping away from the MLB for a brief period. Upon returning, he took the same position with the Houston Astros and later with the Baltimore Orioles before landing with the Mets.
During his decades-long career, Showalter has notched a managerial record of 1,652-1,578 for a winning percentage of .511 percent. He has been to the postseason in six different seasons, reaching the divisional series four times and the championship series once.
Showalter has two more years remaining on his three-year contract. but his New York Mets have much bigger goals. In the 2022 season, the Mets won 100 games for the first time since 1988 and were projected to make it deeper into the playoffs than they did. If the team continues to produce on the field next year, then there is a chance that Showalter could reach his first World Series appearance as a manager before his career ends.