Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees manager Dave Miley accomplished something truly remarkable yesterday. In his seventh season managing the Yankees affiliate in the International league, the 50 year old Miley won the league’s Manager of the Year award – despite not playing a single game in their home stadium over the course of the season. Currently, his team has posted an 81-47 record and could clinch their fifth division title in six years as early as today.
“It is really difficult to adequately describe the job Dave Miley has done in the 2012 season,” said New York Yankees Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Mark Newman. “Dave has met the extraordinary challenge of leading a team playing 144 games on the road with extraordinary success. No one could be more deserving of this award.”
Miley, who has over 1,600 career wins as a minor league manager, has now won the award twice in his career, with the other time coming back in 2007. He now has a winning record in 19 of his 21 seasons as a manager in the minor leagues. He chose to take the humble road when speaking on Tuesday, stating that the team’s success has always relied on the talent surrounding him both on the field and on the bench.
“What Dave has done with his team would be impressive in a normal situation,” said SWB Yankees President and General Manager Rob Crain. “With the challenges he and his staff encountered this year, his efforts have been nothing short of remarkable.”
Miley’s award marked the fifth time in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre franchise’s 24 year history that they have won the Manager of the Year award, good for the third-highest total in the International League.
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