Williams a finalist for National League Manager of the Year

By Bill Ladson

November 4, 2014

WASHINGTON -- The Baseball Writers' Association of America announced on Tuesday that Matt Williams is a finalist for the National League Manager of the Year Award.

Giants skipper Bruce Bochy and the Pirates' Clint Hurdle are the other finalists.

The Nationals had a great year under Williams, going 96-66 -- the best record in the National League -- even though they didn't have the services of Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Wilson Ramos for a lengthy period.

The Nationals made it to the postseason, falling to the Giants in the NL Division Series.

"[Williams] had a remarkable year," general manager Mike Rizzo said. "He is a guy that deserves to be Manager of the Year in the National League. He had the best record in the National League with a lot of trials and tribulations, a lot of key personnel out for a lot of games. He kept a steady hand and did a magnificent job."

The winner will be announced on Nov. 11.

Bill Ladson is a reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, All Nats All the Time. He also can be found on Twitter @WashingNats.