Nationals’ Davey Johnson, A’s Bob Melvin are managers of year

In Billy Beane’s 15 years as general manager of the Oakland Athletics, the A’s have advanced to the playoffs six times.

For the first time, one of Beane’s managers has been honored as American League manager of the year.

Bob Melvin won the award Tuesday, with 16 of the 28 first-place votes. Buck Showalter of the Baltimore Orioles received the other 12 first-place votes.

The “Moneyball” book and movie caricatured Beane as a chess grandmaster for whom the manager was one of his pawns. Yet the A’s have diversified their offense beyond the walk and the home run – five players reached double digits in stolen bases last season – and Melvin said he has meshed well with Beane.

“I heard all the rumors about him being difficult,” Melvin said on a conference call. “He’s been passionate. . . . To this point, it’s been pretty seamless. He’s been terrific.

“Billy has been my biggest champion since I’ve been here. He has been as supportive as anybody I’ve ever been around. He has made this job about as easy as you can get.”

Melvin, in his first full season as the A’s manager, led the team to its first division championship in six years.

Davey Johnson of the Washington Nationals won the National League manager-of-the-year award, with Dusty Baker of the Cincinnati Reds a distant second. Johnson piloted the Nationals to the franchise’s first playoff berth since moving from Montreal in 2005 and the city’s first postseason spot since the Washington Senators played in the 1933 World Series.

Melvin and Johnson became the fifth and sixth managers to win the award in each league. Melvin won with 2007 Arizona Diamondbacks, Johnson with the 1997 Baltimore Orioles.