Comments (2) Best Coach — Professional - 2008

Clint Hurdle
Colorado Rockies

In April 2007, when Clint Hurdle received a two-year contract extension, a significant portion of the Rockies nation was agog. In most major-league cities, doubters argued, a skipper with a putrid .447 winning percentage would have been given the heave-ho, not guaranteed employment for two more seasons. But Hurdle proved his worth during the roller-coaster campaign that followed, keeping the team from cratering during the dreadful early months and preventing players from losing their heads after the wins began piling up. Critics may gripe about some of his in-game moves, but his good humor and prodigious skills as a motivator and communicator make him the right manager at the right time.