(670 The Score) Fired by the White Sox in October, Rick Renteria finished second in the American League Manager of the Year voting, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced Tuesday evening.
Rays manager Kevin Cash won the award by drawing 22 of the 30 first-place votes and compiling 126 points. Renteria garnered five first-place votes, nine second-place votes and nine third-place votes for 61 points. Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo finished third with 47 points.
The White Sox went 35-25 in a breakout season, finishing tied for second in the AL Central and earning their first playoff berth since 2008. Chicago then lost to Oakland in a decisive Game 3 of the wild-card round to bow out.
The White Sox’s plus-60 run differential was tied for the best in the AL, and they had the biggest winning percentage increase in the AL year over year as well.
The White Sox fired Renteria on Oct. 12, 11 days after their season ended. In a media session explaining the move, general manager Rick Hahn cited the need to add a manager with a championship pedigree. The White Sox then hired 76-year-old Tony La Russa, a Hall of Famer and the third-winningest manager in MLB history. The La Russa hiring was met with skepticism at the time and has drawn increased scrutiny after news broke Monday night that he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in February and formally charged on Oct. 28, a day before the White Sox announced his hiring.