Cleveland’s New Manager: Stephen Vogt
After being written in the lineup as a player just one season ago, Stephen Vogt, the new Cleveland Guardians manager, will write the lineups in 2024. The Cleveland Guardians announced Monday that former journeyman backup catcher Stephen Vogt is the new manager of the Cleveland Guardians. After an extensive search, 45 candidates being linked to the position, the Guardians decided that Vogt was the man for the job, signing him to a three-year contract.
After playing just a year ago, Vogt spent the 2023 season as the Seattle Mariners bullpen coach. As a player, Vogt debuted at 27 and played 10 Major League seasons for six different teams. The Tampa Bay Rays drafted the former two-time all-star in the 12th round out of University of Azuza Pacific. Vogt was a fan favorite wherever he went and was a great leader in the clubhouse, no matter where he went.
When looking at Cleveland's team for the 2024 season, the pitching stands out. Cleveland's pitching staff has many young talent, as Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Logan Allen all had promising rookie seasons. Vogt was known as a great game manager as a catcher during his playing days, which Cleveland is hoping will help these young, talented pitchers build off of their promising rookie years.
After a down year and having such a young team, it will be interesting to follow Vogt and see how the team culture changes with a new manager, as Francona was the manager for the last 11 years in Cleveland.