Stephen Vogt’s path to Cleveland Guardians manager was a long time coming
Jul 4, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Seattle Mariners bullpen coach and quality control coach Stephen Vogt (13) walks on the field before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports
By Zack Meisel
Nov 6, 2023
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CLEVELAND — In their mid-20s, as the part-timers clutched onto big-league roster spots with every ounce of willpower they could muster, they would joke about their future gigs, the instructor roles they would settle into once their joyrides as baseball journeymen reached their end.
You’ll be the hitting coach. He’ll be the bench coach. He’ll be the pitching coach.
When it came to Stephen Vogt, though, the light-hearted conversation always carried overtones of reality.
“We knew he was going to be a manager,” said Chris Gimenez, his former teammate and roommate with the Rays. “That was evident from the very beginning.”
Every year, the Rays would hold a talent show during spring training. Every year, Vogt won. Even before he attended big-league camp, his infectious personality had spread through the organization enough to land him an invitation to perform. He would sing. He would strap on a headband and mimic NBA referees. He would impersonate Chris Farley, sending teammates and coaches convulsing with laughter every time he leaned forward and shouted that he lived in a van down by the river, a nod to Farley’s Matt Foley character on “Saturday Night Live.”
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“He’s a man of the people,” Gimenez said. “He can adapt to the room he’s in. He has that innate ability.”
That’s a trait Terry Francona leaned on for the last quarter-century during a managerial career that should eventually earn him residency in Cooperstown. Now, Vogt, who built a reputation for winning over anyone he interacts with, will succeed Francona, the longest-tenured manager in the league and the winningest manager in the 123-year history of Cleveland’s franchise.
Vogt in the A’s dugout shortly after his retirement as a player in October 2022. (Godofredo A. Vásquez / AP Photo)
The Guardians held a Zoom call with Vogt on Friday to offer him the job. Vogt had just finished shoveling some horse manure when he accepted the club’s three-year proposal. The team figures to have the rest of its staff rounded out by the end of the week, sources said, and the expectation is there will be plenty of continuity, though third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh and bullpen coach Rigo Beltran are not in the plans to return.
After a messy divorce with the Red Sox, Francona relocated to Cleveland in October 2012 because of relationships he had forged a decade earlier while working as an advisor in the Indians’ front office. Francona, Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff formed a close partnership during Francona’s 11 years as Cleveland’s manager. They strategized in Francona’s office after every game. They shared a text chain that Chernoff surmised was, 75 percent of the time, Francona cracking jokes.
So when they set out in September to find Francona’s replacement, they sought someone who could collaborate, someone who could connect with people from various walks of life and history within the sport and someone who could keep things light when necessary. They also haven’t had to hire a new manager in, really, 14 years, when they selected Manny Acta over Bobby Valentine. Even when Francona got the job after the 2012 season, he essentially made the decision for them. So, to gain a better understanding of what they were looking for, they asked Francona about the attributes and priorities that can make a person successful in the role. They consulted a dozen or so active managers to learn their perspectives on managerial credentials.
During the interview process, sources said Vogt’s engaging personality and wit wowed the Guardians. They were enamored by his humility, self-confidence and eagerness to learn. Gimenez, who spent the bulk of his professional career with Cleveland, said he could envision Antonetti and Chernoff in Vogt’s office, “not wanting to leave.” Even as a rookie in Tampa, Vogt was the player to drop the perfect line in the clubhouse after a tough loss to lift everyone’s spirits. When the moment arose, he also was willing to have difficult conversations with teammates, which earned him respect from his peers.
Of course, Vogt and Francona couldn’t have a greater contrast in terms of experience. Vogt, who turned 39 last week, hit a home run in a major-league game less than 400 days ago. He has the least coaching experience of any candidate the Guardians seriously considered. He spent last season as Seattle’s bullpen and quality control coach. He did serve as a coaching apprentice in 2018, when a shoulder injury knocked him out for the season. He landed a summer internship of sorts to learn alongside Craig Counsell and his Brewers staff. Vogt had managerial aspirations and figured there were more beneficial ways to spend an injury-marred season than sulking from the sideline.
Five years later, Counsell and Vogt were Cleveland’s top choices to replace Francona. Counsell shocked the industry and signed a record-setting deal with the Cubs. The Guardians hired Vogt, preferring his potential over that of other candidates such as Carlos Mendoza, Craig Albernaz and Clayton McCullough.
Vogt called his way onto two All-Star teams during his decade in the big leagues, but for the most part, he was a backup catcher who worked hard to endear himself to teammates, coaches and fans. He had Oakland’s faithful chanting “I believe in Stephen Vogt” to the cadence of the famous Team USA soccer cry. Anytime he offered some offense, the shouts echoed throughout the cavernous coliseum by the Bay. The Guardians and their new skipper, by the way, will open the 2024 season in Oakland.
Vogt was a 12th-round pick from Azusa Pacific University, a guy who went hitless in his first 32 big-league at-bats, a catcher hamstrung by shoulder injuries, who considered walking away early in his professional tenure, who played winter ball to hone his craft, who bounced to six teams in 10 seasons. He studied in forward-thinking organizations such as Tampa, Oakland, Milwaukee and Atlanta. He gained postseason experience with the A’s and a World Series ring with the Braves.
The experiences made him relatable to so many people he crossed paths with in the game. And the charisma and willingness to help made him memorable.
“Some guys have ‘it,’” Gimenez said. “He’s one of those guys. I’m not saying everything is going to be completely perfect from the beginning, but he has the communication skills to get through stuff.”
