Paul Connors / AP

Scott Bordow thinks Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin deserves to take home the National League Manager of the Year award after leading the D'backs to the NL West crown.

Melvin’s stoicism often has been mistaken as weakness. Because he doesn’t berate players publicly or kick over buffet, it’s been said he lacks fire.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Melvin hates to lose as much as any man in the Diamondbacks’ clubhouse.

“His passion and competitiveness are very much there,” general manager Josh Byrnes said. “He just chooses not to show it in the dugout.”

Melvin will express his feelings privately, though. He berated the team when it lost three of four to Milwaukee in mid-July, and he has had closed-door sessions with several players.

The private chats serve two purposes: Melvin gets his point across, and the players respect him for keeping the conversation from the prying eyes and ears of the media.

“He holds us responsible,” first baseman Tony Clark said. “You may not see it, but he lets us know if we’re not doing what he wants us to do.”

One of Melvin’s best attributes — besides his communication skills, which Clark has said is the best of any manager he’s played for — is his ability to make the right decisions when it comes to personnel and in-game strategy.

The best example: The Diamondbacks lost two straight games to the Pittsburgh Pirates the final week of the season, slicing their lead over the San Diego Padres to one game.

Ace Brandon Webb was scheduled to pitch the third and final game of the series, but the weather forecast called for rain. Melvin, looking ahead to Arizona’s final three games in Colorado, didn’t want to use Webb and then have rain possibly wash out his start.

So he gave the ball to rookie Micah Owings in the most important game of the year and saved Webb for the series opener against Colorado.

The result: Owings tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings in an 8-0 win, and Webb beat the Rockies the next day to clinch a playoff berth for Arizona.

“He’s made a lot of shrewd and gutsy moves,” Byrnes said.

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