After steering the Giants to a franchise-record 107 wins in 2021, Gabe Kapler was named a finalist for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s National League Manager of the Year Award on Monday.

Kapler is up against Craig Counsell of the Brewers and Mike Shildt, who was surprisingly dismissed by the Cardinals last month due to “philosophical differences” with the front office.

The winner will be announced on MLB Network at 3 p.m. PT on Nov. 16.

• All-time Manager of the Year Award winners

Kapler wasn’t a popular hire when he was tapped to replace the beloved Bruce Bochy following the 2019 season, but he guided the Giants to their first NL West title since 2012 in only his second season at the helm. His first postseason appearance as a manager ended earlier than he would have hoped, though, with San Francisco falling to the Dodgers in the NL Division Series.

The Giants overcame long odds to claim the division crown, as they were forecasted to win 75 games and finish behind two other NL West heavyweights -- the Dodgers and the Padres -- by Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections entering the season.

Still, San Francisco defied those modest expectations and emerged as one of the biggest surprises in baseball this year. Kapler raised eyebrows when he assembled a relatively young coaching staff short on big league experience, but those coaches ended up securing buy-in from the club’s veterans and helping the Giants get the most out of every player on their roster in 2021.

Hitting coaches Donnie Ecker (who recently left to accept a new role as the Rangers’ bench coach and offensive coordinator), Justin Viele and Dustin Lind were credited with helping Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford make adjustments that sparked offensive resurgences in their age-34 seasons.

Director of pitching Brian Bannister and pitching coaches Andrew Bailey and J.P. Martinez drew similar praise for helping starters like Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani and Logan Webb refine their arsenals and anchor one of the best rotations in baseball. The staff also included Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to serve as a full-time coach for a Major League team.

Kapler was fired by the Phillies after going 161-163 from 2018-19, but he’s 136-86 since joining the Giants, who are likely to explore an extension with the 46-year-old this offseason to avoid having him enter the 2022 campaign on an expiring contract.