2021 GM's of the Year
Sept 28, 2021 19:52:29 GMT -5
Royals GM (Bill), Brewers GM (Tim), and 2 more like this
Post by Ken Rosenthal on Sept 28, 2021 19:52:29 GMT -5
GM's were selected based on the moves they made that improved them from year to year. Consequently, teams that were already powerhouses in the previous year were not considered above teams that came from the bottom to the top.
2021 American League GM of the Year
Thomas - GM, Cleveland Guardians
2019 Record: 3-16
2021 Record: 13-6
Make that three straight seasons (CHW, MIN, CLE) that the AL Central has claimed this award. Thomas had a rough start to his BKDB career since starting in 2016, winning just 22 total games in his first four seasons. It extended Cleveland's "impressive" streak of never making the post-season in BKDB's ten years of existence. That changed as the Guardians started strong out of the gate and then made a flurry of trades during the summer to suddenly become a challenger in the American League by seasons's end. GM Thomas beefed up the rotation at the deadline to edge out a couple clubs for the third Wild Card spot. Cleveland then won two playoff games to reach the ALCS before falling to the eventual champion Seattle Mariners. An incredible turnaround following a 3-16 2019 campaign. Great work, Thomas!
2021 National League GM of the Year
Tim - GM, Washington Nationals
2019 Record: 2-17
2021 Record: 18-1
I didn't even check, but a SIXTEEN game improvement after a year is likely a record. That can somewhat be attributed to the COVID-19 cancelled season with a young roster, but it is still an incredible feat. The Nationals only lost one game in 2021 and finished second in the entire league in scoring, putting up 7,000+ points, following a season where they won just two games. GM Tim has done this without sacrificing future draft capital or most of his top prospects and young players. In fact, the team was sellers at one point at the trade deadline, showcasing the massive amount of depth on the roster. The Nationals made it to the NLCS before losing to the San Francisco Giants, though with this roster most would bet on them getting back there sometime soon. Awesome job, Tim!
2021 American League GM of the Year
Thomas - GM, Cleveland Guardians
2019 Record: 3-16
2021 Record: 13-6
Make that three straight seasons (CHW, MIN, CLE) that the AL Central has claimed this award. Thomas had a rough start to his BKDB career since starting in 2016, winning just 22 total games in his first four seasons. It extended Cleveland's "impressive" streak of never making the post-season in BKDB's ten years of existence. That changed as the Guardians started strong out of the gate and then made a flurry of trades during the summer to suddenly become a challenger in the American League by seasons's end. GM Thomas beefed up the rotation at the deadline to edge out a couple clubs for the third Wild Card spot. Cleveland then won two playoff games to reach the ALCS before falling to the eventual champion Seattle Mariners. An incredible turnaround following a 3-16 2019 campaign. Great work, Thomas!
2021 National League GM of the Year
Tim - GM, Washington Nationals
2019 Record: 2-17
2021 Record: 18-1
I didn't even check, but a SIXTEEN game improvement after a year is likely a record. That can somewhat be attributed to the COVID-19 cancelled season with a young roster, but it is still an incredible feat. The Nationals only lost one game in 2021 and finished second in the entire league in scoring, putting up 7,000+ points, following a season where they won just two games. GM Tim has done this without sacrificing future draft capital or most of his top prospects and young players. In fact, the team was sellers at one point at the trade deadline, showcasing the massive amount of depth on the roster. The Nationals made it to the NLCS before losing to the San Francisco Giants, though with this roster most would bet on them getting back there sometime soon. Awesome job, Tim!
