There are currently 256 managers in all levels of Minor League Baseball (MiLB). That’s it, only 256.

On Tuesday it was announced that Baseball America had selected their 2018 Minor League Baseball Manager of the Year, the best of the best for the just-concluded 2018 MiLB season. That one guy – out of 256 – is Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes manager Drew Saylor.

“I’m incredibly humbled,” Saylor told ThinkBlue LA shortly after the announcement. “Looking at some of the guys that have won the award in the past, I was fortunate enough to have (St. Louis Cardinals Triple-A affiliate Memphis Redbirds manager) Stubby Clapp, last year’s recipient, as my hitting coach when I was with the Astros organization, and I know what type of person he is and how much he cares about people and developing relationships. I learned so much from him and others.

“Terry Francona won the award and I think that you look at so many different guys that have had that title bestowed upon them and really, for me, I look at the award and I’m just incredibly grateful for really more than anything else just the celebration of so many different people,” Saylor added. “My staff was incredibly hard-working that not only took the vision, but ran with it, sprinted with it.”

A champagne-soaked Drew Saylor (left) holds the 2018 Cal League Championship trophy with Quakes hitting coach Justin Viele. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

In only his third season at the helm, Saylor led the Quakes to their second Cal League Championship in four years.

“The players that came in bought into our culture and wanted to be positive and wanted to be encouraging,” Saylor said. “All the way up to Grant Riddle who’s the GM there, to the booster club, to our fans. And I think that it celebrates all those things and I truly believe that the Rancho manager’s seat is one of the best jobs in baseball, and Rancho is forever going to be my second home and my family’s second home, and we’ll always look back at our time there with a lot of joy and a lot of happiness.”

The relationships that Saylor has with his players and staff (and the media) is what most managers – on every level – only dream of. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

That’s the good news.

The bad news, or at least sad news for Quakes fans is that there will not be a fourth season for Saylor as the Quakes manager … or manager of any of the Dodgers MiLB affiliates.

Along with Tuesday’s announcement that Saylor had been named the MiLB Manager of the Year came the announcement that he was leaving the Dodgers organization.

“There are a lot of incredible managers in this organization,” Saylor said. “I have the utmost respect for [Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers manager Bill Haselman] and for [Double-A Tulsa Drillers manager] Scott Hennessey, and I think that those guys are just phenomenal human beings and phenomenal coaches. It’s just one of those things that recognizing some of the distance pieces with the family and I want to be able to explore and to continue to see the game from different vantage points.

“So I think that all those things that kind of led to the decision and the Dodgers are saying ‘Well, yeah, we’ll let you go and try to find that and be able to explore those opportunities.’ I’m optimistic about where some of the possibilities can lie and maybe I can get a little bit closer to home.”

Does the 34-year-old Barberton, Ohio native who was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 13th round of the 2006 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Kent State University have any potential suitors lined up?

“Yeah, I’ve had good conversations with a lot of clubs,” Saylor answered. “I’ve had a lot of clubs reach out asking the same questions you just did, ‘What’s going on? Why did you leave? It seemed like you were doing really well there,’ and again, like I said, I felt that having discussions and talking with a lot of guys, I just felt that I wanted to be able to just explore and be able to see other roles that could possibly be out there that I could be able to fill.

“It was a mutual decision, it wasn’t one way or the other,” Saylor added. “It was something that I was pushing to experience something different and see a different vantage point. … We decided to part ways and I want to celebrate the years that I had there with the Dodgers, just the enjoyable experience that I had there, and how much I learned and how much I grew.

“I’m looking forward to the next chapter and, again, just looking to continue to grow. I wish nothing but the best to all the Dodger fans, and the Quake fans, and all the people that I got a chance to impact and be around,” Saylor concluded.

Some team is going to be getting a good one, that’s for sure.