Stephen Vogt hung around as an MLB player as long as he could. He then became the AL Manager of the Year in his first year on the job.
The Cleveland Guardians captain was named the winner of the award on Tuesday, beating out finalists Matt Quatraro of the Kansas City Royals and AJ Hinch of the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central all-state affair. As in the division standings, the Guardians came out on top this year.
Vogt received 27 of 30 first-place votes from the BBWAA, with Quatraro receiving two and Hinch receiving the last. Joe Espada (Houston Astros), Aaron Boone (New York Yankees), Mark Kotsay (Oakland Athletics), Rocco Baldelli (Minnesota Twins) and Alex Cora (Boston Red Sox) received second- or third-place votes.
The win comes 26 months after Vogt announced his retirement after 10 years in the big leagues. He began his coaching career in 2023 as a pitching coach and quality control coach for the Seattle Mariners before moving on to manager in Cleveland after one season.
Per Sarah Langs of MLB.comit is the fastest man has ever gone from player to manager of the year. Joe Girardi was the previous record holder, going from a 2003 hitter to winning in 2006 with the Miami Marlins.
In hiring Vogt, the Guardians certainly took a risk with a first-time manager with limited coaching experience, but after the “retirement” of longtime manager Terry Francona, they needed to aim high. (Francona has since come out of retirement to become the manager of the Cincinnati Reds.) In retrospect, the Guardians needed a change after the 76-86 season and got it with Vogt.
Cleveland made a 16-win jump in 2024, won a competitive division and reached the ALCS. Their lineup, led by José Ramírez and Steven Kwan, was one of the more underrated in baseball. Their rotation was a clear weak link, but it was supported by a league-best bullpen that featured four guys with ERAs under 2.00 in at least 65 innings pitched: Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin.
The roster was eventually swept by the New York Yankees in the ALCS (which didn’t count the BBWAA vote), but 2024 represented a significant step forward for Cleveland. The Royals and Tigers made the playoffs after not being expected to get anywhere near .500, but Vogt arguably had an even tougher job than his peers as he took over a team struggling to return to the playoffs after losing a Hall of Famer. manager and some notable additions.
Vogt nailed it and should have many more seasons to add to his list of accomplishments.