Mark Canha elated Buck Showalter won NL Manager of the Year: ‘I was so happy for Buck’

Baseball managers in most markets don’t usually enjoy the same spotlight that managers in New York City do. Their personalities are rarely seen and there is fairly little insight into their relationships with players.

But that’s not necessarily the case in New York, where managers are under a microscope. The pressure isn’t for everyone but Buck Showalter isn’t everyone. The former Yankees manager and current Mets manager has always been somewhat unfiltered in his interactions with the media, often turning into Buck Showman. His folksy sayings, his stories about players like Derek Jeter and Manny Machado and the jokes he makes about sweet tea make for some memorable sound bites and also help to deflect attention away from his teams when they’re struggling.

Fans were able to get a glimpse of the relationships Showalter developed with players during his first year in Queens. Players say they get the humorous Buck-isms as well. You can’t pass him in the hallway without a story from one of his 21 years of managing. He frequently roams the clubhouse to talk openly with players almost as if he’s one of them too.

In a moment that went viral during the NL Wild Card Series, Francisco Lindor’s daughter Kalina asked for Buck during a press conference after Game 2. Lindor’s wife, Katia, later posted a video of Kalina dancing with Showalter’s wife, Angela, to her Instagram stories, captioning it, “We love Mrs. Buck too!”

It’s clear that the 66-year-old veteran manager has endeared himself to the team, so it wasn’t surprising to see their support after he was named NL Manager of the Year last week.

“That was awesome,” outfielder Mark Canha said. “I was so happy for Buck. He’s just one of those people that’s really earnest in everything he does and he wants the best for all of his players, he wants everything to be done right.”

Every manager has differing personality traits and different management styles. Some prefer to communicate with younger players through their veterans. Some prefer to take a hands-off approach to off-field matters and prefer to focus on only baseball-related, on-field issues.

When you’re around the same people every day for nine months of the year it’s only natural that relationships form, but with Showalter it’s different. He likes to have his hand in a little bit of everything. He does things his own way and he’s happy to tell you all about it.

“He has a passion for what he does and for making our organization the best it could be,” Canha said. “He’s so deserving of the award.”