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Former Rays bench coach among Manager of the Year finalists

ByMason Stacy|
Jul 24, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro (33) gives a thumbs up to a player against the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to a game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Jul 24, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro (33) gives a thumbs up to a player against the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to a game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The 2024 BBWAA awards finalists were revealed last night on MLB Network. One of the lesser known awards among them is the NL and AL Manager of the Year honors. Despite the fact that the winners get heavily overshadowed by the MVP and Cy Young nominees, this is still an exceptional merit for an extremely difficult major league role. One of the three finalists for this year's edition is former Rays bench coach, Matt Quatraro.

Quatraro started his managerial career in 2006 with the Rays High-A, Hudson Valley Renegades. He would remain at the helm for this team until 2007 accumulating a 65-85 overall record. Regardless of the losing record, the 34-year old was able to climb through the ranks of the Rays minor leagues.

Hudson Valley Renegades mascot
Hudson Valley Renegades mascot, Rascal, stops in at the bar in the club house during Pride Night at Heritage Financial Park on June 11, 2024. | Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

The New York native managed the Double-A Columbus Catfish for two seasons as well. This club moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky and changed their moniker to the Hot Rods during Quatraro's second year as manager.

After the 2009 season, Quatraro was hired as the Rays minor league hitting coordinator and served in that position until 2014. Afterwards, he joined the Cleveland Guardians organization in a similar role. Matt Quatraro was climbing through the ranks of professional baseball coaching.

Eventually, he received an offer to be a member of the Rays on-field managerial crew as their third base coach. The Old Dominion University product split time between third base coach and the role of bench coach. The rest of the league started to realize the value that Matt Quatraro brought to an organization. Therefore, in October of 2022, the Kansas City Royals hired him as their manager.

Oct 5, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro
Oct 5, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro (33) shakes hands with New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) before game one of the ALDS during the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In his two seasons with the American League Central club, Quatraro led two very different outcomes. The Royals finished 2023 with a division-worst 56-106 record. This Kansas City club was in a rebuild stage as they were attempting to construct a squad around sophomore shortstop, Bobby Witt Jr. The midwest team saw some bright spots within the season, but inconsistent pitching and a top-heavy lineup led to a miserable finish.

However, Quatraro and his Royals would bounce back abundantly in the 2024 campaign. Many fans expected Kansas City to be better, but I don't think anyone saw them snagging a playoff spot and facing off against the Yankees in the division series. Witt Jr. and company led the Royals offense to a top-5 team batting average among American League teams with a .248 clip. The Royals finished tied for 4th with the New York Yankees, which is just another wild stat that nobody anticipated.

Congratulations to Matt Quatraro and the Kansas City Royals! We wish him the best moving forward as he continues to help prove the Rays ability to breed talented individuals.

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