Will Venable, Pat Murphy Win 2026 MLB Manager of the Year Awards

Will Venable and Pat Murphy won the 2026 Baseball Writers’ Association of America Manager of the Year awards on Tuesday night, honoring two very different achievements: Venable’s historic Chicago White Sox turnaround and Murphy’s unprecedented third consecutive National League win.

• AL winner: Will Venable, Chicago White Sox — 111 points and 15 first-place votes
• NL winner: Pat Murphy, Milwaukee Brewers — 124 points and 20 first-place votes

Venable completes a historic White Sox turnaround

Venable took the American League award after guiding Chicago to an 84-78 record and the third AL Wild Card, one year after the White Sox finished 60-102. Chicago became the first team in major-league history to reach the postseason after losing at least 100 games in each of the previous two seasons.

The turnaround was even more striking against the franchise’s recent history. The White Sox had lost 100 or more games in three consecutive seasons, including a modern-era record 121 losses in 2024, before more than doubling that win total over Venable’s first two years as manager.

Chicago also won its first postseason series since the 2005 World Series, sweeping the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series before losing a five-game Division Series to the Cleveland Guardians. BBWAA ballots were submitted before the postseason, so the award reflects Venable’s regular-season work.

Venable received 15 first-place votes, 11 second-place votes and three third-place votes for 111 points. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash finished second with 98 points, while Boston Red Sox manager Chad Tracy placed third with 47.

The 43-year-old Venable is the sixth White Sox manager to win the BBWAA honor and the first since Ozzie Guillén in Chicago’s championship season of 2005.

Murphy becomes the first three-time consecutive winner

Murphy made award history in the National League. The 67-year-old became the first manager to win in three straight seasons since the BBWAA introduced the award in 1983, adding the 2026 honor to his victories in 2024 and 2025.

Milwaukee won a franchise-record and major-league-best 103 games, captured a fourth consecutive NL Central title and outscored opponents by a club-record 214 runs. The Brewers reached 100 wins without a winning streak longer than five games, a measure of how consistently they played across the season.

Murphy’s third award also came with an unusual scene: he appeared on the announcement show from a Milwaukee hospital bed after undergoing hip replacement surgery. His World Series championship did not factor into the vote because ballots were cast before the playoffs.

Murphy collected 20 first-place votes, seven second-place votes and three third-place votes for 124 points. Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss was second with 86 points, followed by Don Mattingly of the Philadelphia Phillies with 25.

Only nine other managers have won at least three BBWAA Manager of the Year awards, but none had done it in three consecutive seasons. Venable’s rise with Chicago and Murphy’s sustained success in Milwaukee gave the 2026 vote both a turnaround story and a first-of-its-kind milestone.