Wedge wins AL Manager of the Year award, Melvin honored in NL

~ Former catchers dominated this year's voting for top skipper.

NEW YORK -- Bob Melvin and Eric Wedge barely made a ripple as players. Backup catchers, they both batted a pedestrian .233 in the big leagues.

All that time spent pondering on the bench paid off. Far more successful in the dugout than on the field, they were honored Wednesday as managers of the year.

Wedge became the first Cleveland manager to win the AL award, chosen by a wide margin after the Indians and Boston tied for the best record in baseball. Melvin was the first Arizona manager to get the NL prize, picked after leading his young team to the top mark in the league.

Wedge and Melvin are among nearly a dozen former catchers who manage in the majors.

"There's been quite the trend," Wedge said on a conference call. "The catcher has to be aware and knowledgeable of every aspect.

"It's a leadership position. That position demands a great amount of passion for your teammates and the game of baseball."

Wedge said he knew Melvin mostly from across the diamond. Their paths crossed years ago -- a month after Colorado took Wedge from Boston in the November 1992 expansion draft, the Red Sox wanted a second-string catcher and signed Melvin as a free agent.

Wedge received 19 of the 28 first-place votes and got 116 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He finished ahead of a pair of former catchers, the Angels' Mike Scioscia (62 points) and ex-Yankees manager Joe Torre (61). Terry Francona of the World Series champion Red Sox got 13.

"There's always challenges and unexpected challenges you go through over the course of six months. I think we were the extreme of that," Wedge said.

Wedge, a no-nonsense guy with a John Wayne calendar in his office, guided the Indians to a 96-66 record. Cleveland made its first playoff appearance since 2001, then lost to the Red Sox in Game 7 of the AL championship series.

Melvin was chosen on 19 of the 30 first-place ballots and got 119 points. Philadelphia's Charlie Manuel (76), Colorado's Clint Hurdle (58), himself a former catcher, and the Cubs' Lou Piniella (25) followed.

Melvin was honored for his steady hand in leading a team that sometimes started six rookies to a 90-72 mark. Back in the playoffs for the first time since 2002, Arizona swept Chicago in the first round before getting swept by Colorado in the NLCS.

"At the beginning, we were cautiously optimistic. We liked the young group," Melvin said on a conference call.

The 39-year-old Wedge played 39 games for Boston and Colorado in the early 1990s. He's done a lot better with the Indians since starting out 68-94 in 2003.

One promise Wedge made to himself after becoming a major league manager: "I would never forget how hard it is to play this game," he said.

The Indians took over first place for good Aug. 15 and went a major league-best 31-13 to finish the season.

C.C. Sabathia, picked as the AL Cy Young Award winner Tuesday, and Fausto Carmona each won 19 games to lead Cleveland. The Indians were in good hands and the team rewarded Wedge with a three-year contract extension in July.