TAMPA — Joe Maddon used the word “validate” a number of times Tuesday night during a conference call made possible when the former Rays manager won his third Manager of the Year award, this one in the National League after leading the Chicago Cubs to a 97-win season and their first playoff berth since 2008.
Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister won the award in the American League.
The season, not so much the award, validated Maddon’s managerial style — that it could work in both small and big markets.
It also validated his decision after the 2014 season to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Rays and seek a greener pasture.