Stephen Got The Vogt
The Cleveland Guardians have officially announced their new manager, and they did it in style. The team revealed on Monday that they had hired former MLB All-Star catcher Stephen Vogt to be their next skipper . Vogt, who retired after the 2022 campaign, was the bullpen and quality control coach for the Seattle Mariners in 2023 before being hired by the Guardians this week. At just 39 years old, he has now ascended to MLB manager in very short order.
It’s pretty obvious what happened when you consider the Guardians management techniques over the last several years. For lack of better ways to put it, we are cheap. Craig Counsell received $40 million in his new contract with the Cubs, Vogt signed a 3 year deal with Cleveland that will likely make him one of the cheapest managers in the entire league, and rightfully so with no managerial experience. Sure, I wanted Counsell like the rest of us, but the Guardians list of $40 million dollar investments historically is very slim. Realistically, I think this hire has a lot of upside for Cleveland. We have a young team, so a young coach fresh out of the game himself seems very fitting for this club. His lack of experience makes him affordable with little risk. The deal is 3 years, so if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work and we cut ties on a short deal with minimal financial loss. If the Guardians find success with their new manager, then we stole him for 3 years and get the first chance to sign him long term at a more lucrative price down the road.
The Guardians' announcement of Vogt's hiring came on Monday morning . The team posted a picture of Vogt on their official X page with the caption "We believe in Stephen Vogt. We have hired Stephen Vogt as the 45th manager in franchise history. #ForTheLand" . The caption is a nod to the popular chant that followed Vogt throughout his playing days: "I believe in Stephen Vogt". The chant was coined by fans of the Oakland Athletics, Vogt's primary team during his MLB career, and was modeled after the U.S. men's national soccer team chant of "I believe that we will win".
While Vogt was one of the frontrunners in Cleveland, there were some other interesting candidates that emerged. We interviewed Andy Green of the Cubs, Carlos Mendoza of the Yankees, Craig Counsell of the Milwaukee Brewers (who never seemed like a realistic candidate for Cleveland$$$), and the first base coach of the Dodgers, Clayton McCullough. But the Guardians have decided that Vogt is their guy, and he takes over for Terry Francona, who retired after spending the last 11 seasons as Cleveland's manager.
Vogt's hiring is a bold move by the Guardians, but it's one that could pay off in a big way. He's a respected figure in the baseball world, and his experience as a player and coach should serve him well in his new role. The Guardians are hoping that Vogt can help lead them back to the postseason, and if he can do that, he'll be a great hire in Cleveland for years to come.
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