Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora doesn't get a vote for the American League Manager of the Year award -- an honor reserved for members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. But if Cora was able to select the winner, he would pick Seattle Mariners skipper Scott Servais.
Servais is a finalist alongside Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash and Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker.
"I think the three candidates are pretty good, obviously," Cora said in an appearance on WEEI's Merloni and Fauria on Wednesday. "What Servais did, I believe he'll be the guy. What they did in Seattle, obviously with the group that they had and to be there until the last day of the season is amazing."
The 54-year-old Servais was the mastermind behind a 90-win season for the Mariners, which came down to the wire as there was the potential for a four-way tie in the AL Wild Card race despite the team entering the season with just a 2.9% chance to play more than 162 games. The group owed much of its success to the bullpen, which transformed into one of the league's best in 2021.
Servais never has been nominated for the award. He just wrapped up his sixth season with the Mariners and in September signed a multi-year extension.
Cora also praised the efforts of Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, who won the AL East despite losing stars Tyler Glasnow to injury and Blake Snell via trade to the San Diego Padres.
The winner will be announced Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.
