White Sox manager Will Venable and Brewers manager Pat Murphy won the 2026 BBWAA Manager of the Year awards. Venable earned recognition for leading Chicago’s dramatic turnaround and return to the postseason; Murphy made history as the first manager to win the award three years in a row. Voting was based on regular-season performance, not the playoffs.

By the Numbers
  • Milwaukee finished 103-59, with a major-league-best plus-214 run differential.
  • Chicago improved from 60-102 in 2025 to 84-78 in 2026 — a 24-win gain.
  • Murphy received 20 first-place votes and 124 points; Venable received 15 first-place votes and 111 points.
Yes, But

Venable edged Rays manager Kevin Cash in a close American League vote: Cash received 12 first-place votes to Venable’s 15. Murphy’s award was decided before the postseason, so Milwaukee’s World Series title did not factor into the result.

Bottom Line

Venable was rewarded for one of baseball’s most striking team turnarounds, while Murphy’s third straight win set a new standard for consecutive Manager of the Year awards.