Early signs suggest the Cleveland Guardians made the right decision tabbing Stephen Vogt as their manager.
Following the retirement of Terry Francona, Cleveland had to find a manager, something they hadn't had to do in a long time. They ultimately went with Vogt, who didn’t have any experience as a manager but was a widely respected mind and leader throughout his playing career.
It’s been a decision that looks shrewd, with the Guardians owning a share of the second-best winning percentage in MLB heading into the weekend.
Obviously, there’s plenty of season left. But this is also a Guardians team that went to the postseason in 2022 and has some solid building blocks. Vogt thus far seems to be getting the most out of the group he inherited.
Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti raved about Vogt during an appearance on Audacy’s Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast.
“It’s a daunting task to think about hiring someone to follow Terry Francona,” Antonetti said. “A Hall of Fame caliber manager, an incredible person, he and I developed a great friendship and partnership over 11-plus years. To think about that next chapter was daunting, but once we got past that we tried to be really thoughtful about what is it that we as an organization need moving forward.
“What we honed in on was ideally finding a leader who shared our beliefs, our vision, our values and had an appreciation for who we are as an organization. But at the same time could bring new ideas, new energy to help us build on the foundation that’s here, challenge us to get better in different ways.
“It was really energizing to go through the process and talk with a number of extraordinary leaders throughout the game. And ultimately to hire Stephen and bring him on board has been energizing for me, it’s been energizing for our organization because we found that right person that has that appreciation for where we’ve been but can also lead us forward in our next chapter. We’re thrilled to have him.”
Vogt retired after the 2022 season and immediately took a job as bullpen and quality control coach for the Mariners before arriving in Cleveland. So far, it’s safe to say he’s a natural fit as a manager.