Terry Francona was named Manager of the Year by Baseball America and will be presented with his award at a ceremony here this afternoon.

“It’s very well deserved,” said general manager Theo Epstein. “For teams that are expected to contend every year, sometimes the manager is overlooked. But I’m glad Baseball America didn’t overlook him. He did a fantastic job, as he has every year since we hired him.”

Francona said he was “really honored” by the award, though he was quick to credit ownership and the front office with providing him talented players, and he thanked his coaches for their hard work.

-SEAN McADAM