Luis Bernardo Wins 2026 Troy May Memorial Trophy, Named CBL Manager of the Year

HAMILTON, ON – He traded the chest protector for the lineup card, and the league noticed. Luis Bernardo has been named the 2026 Troy May Memorial Trophy winner as the Canadian Baseball League's Manager of the Year, capping a first full season at the helm that produced the greatest regular season in Hamilton Cardinals history. The Cardinals went 31-17 under Bernardo, a .646 winning percentage that stands as the best single-season mark in franchise history and shatters the previous record of .611 set by the 2002 club that made the league finals. Hamilton captured its first-ever pennant and reached the CBL finals for the first time since 2002, ending a 24-year drought. The veteran's transition from player to manager was as seamless as it gets. Bernardo joined the Cardinals in 2023 as a catcher after a pro career that began in 2006 with the Baltimore Orioles organization. The San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic native played 300 games across six minor-league seasons and reached High-A Frederick. He hit .289 with six home runs and 43 RBI in his first Cardinals campaign, then batted .267 as the everyday catcher in 2024. Now, in his first full season in the dugout, he delivered. His career winning percentage of .578 is the highest of any Cardinals manager, surpassing Dean Castelli's .410 over 11 seasons. Bernardo joins Castelli (2018, 2019) as the only Hamilton field managers to win the Troy May Memorial Trophy since its introduction in 2006, and follows a tradition dating back to Phil Duffy's Manager of the Year award while leading the 1978 title team. De catcher a campeón. Congratulations, Luis. Secure your 2027 Season Pass today — early bird pricing is on now