Guardians Hire Stephen Vogt As Manager
The Cleveland Guardians have announced that Stephen Vogt will be taking over as the team’s manager. Vogt will be formally announced as manager during a press conference on Nov. 10.
We believe in Stephen Vogt.
&mdash; Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) November 6, 2023
We have hired Stephen Vogt as the 45th manager in franchise history.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/OA9WfVy0Vr
It really has been quite the rise for Vogt in a short amount of time. He debuted as a player back in 2012 for the Rays, playing for five other teams during his ten-year career, spending the majority of that time in Oakland, where he was named an All-Star twice (2015-16).
His career stats never jumped off the page, slashing .246/.308/.406. But his immense knowledge and understanding of the game were always clear and a huge bonus for whatever team he was on.
It translated for him quickly, finding a job almost immediately after his retirement with the Seattle Mariners as a bullpen quality control coach in 2022. Now, with one year of coaching experience under his belt, he’s getting the ultimate promotion of getting to manage a major league team.
But Vogt will have some pretty big shoes to fill in his first year as a manager; taking over for Terry Francona is no easy task and the expectation of winning will be there right away for Vogt.
You may read all this and think Vogt is being promoted to manager too quickly. It’s been quite the rise for a guy who was playing in MLB in 2022. But with Stephen Vogt, this drastic rise doesn’t come as a surprise to many.
Vogt himself expressed a desire to one day be a manager back during his playing days. Bob Melvin also gave Vogt a ringing endorsement saying he definitely had a future in managing and that his value within the clubhouse was “immeasurable.”
Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti was open about his high regard for Vogt.
“Stephen earned a reputation as one of the best teammates in the game across his 16-year career as a player, and we’ve greatly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him over the past several weeks,” he said in a statement. “Stephen has thought critically about the type of leader and manager he wants to be. His deep care for others, his ability to build meaningful relationships with those around him, and his open-mindedness and curiosity make him an ideal fit to lead our club moving forward. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Stephen.”
Quote via MLB Trade Rumors
It’s clear the Guardians are excited at being able to secure Vogt as they look to rebound after a rough 2023 season, but it’s clear that those within the Guardians organization believe he can get them on the right path.
He clearly has always had a deep understanding of baseball. But that doesn’t always mean someone will be a great manager. If anything, his time as a catcher is more what gives me confidence in his managing ability.
Vogt will have his work cut out for him, but he seems more than up to the challenge. The Guardians have some work to do, but this could be a big step in the right direction.
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