Stephen Vogt Explains Cleveland Guardians Success Over The Past Two Seasons

The 2025 season was special.

There's no question that it'll go down as one of the most incredible seasons in the history of the Cleveland Guardians' organization. After months of up and down play, somehow, someway, the team was able to rally down 15.5 games to win the American League Central and force a postseason birth.

Reflecting on his tenure leading the Guardians through the 2024 and 2025 seasons, manager Stephen Vogt said he believes this team simply knows how to find a way to win.

"All the credit goes to our players and our staff and the hard work that they put in every day," Vogt said in an interview with MLB Network. "I think what it is is just understanding who we are. You know, we're... we're built differently, we have to play differently, and we just find ways to win. I think that's really the mentality that we've adopted, is you know, let's go out every night with the intention that we know we're better.

"We know we're gonna win, and it may look different on any given night, but that's why you play all the games, and we're never out of it until we are, and couldn't be more proud of our guys from last year."

The two-time AL Manager of the Year is no stranger to adversity.

In 2025, the Cleveland Guardians endured a season filled with challenges. Some of the most significant were the league suspensions of Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz following an illegal gambling investigation. That forced the coaching staff to completely change the rotation and update roles in the bullpen, including moving Cade Smith to the lead closer spot.

The team also struggled with inconsistent hitting, ranking near the bottom of the league in several offensive categories.

Despite those setbacks and struggles, the clubhouse remained unified under the leadership of Vogt and other players. Cleveland overcame everything it faced and ultimately captured a division title.

Back-to-back AL Manager of the Year Stephen Vogt takes us through the success he has found in his first two seasons as skipper of the @CleGuardians:

“Understanding who we are... we just find ways to win.”#MLBNHotStove | @SageUSAmerica pic.twitter.com/IKmRtUTSDW
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 10, 2026

2025 Will Be Hard To Replicate

The Guardians overcame quite a lot to finish the season 88-74, 14 games above .500.

The club erased a massive deficit to win the division, which went down as one of the largest comebacks to do such a thing in league history. Cleveland leaned on the youngsters, who did whatever they could to try to adapt to the major leagues quickly.

While some faltered, others rallied off the city and the goal they had in mind of winning the division. CJ Kayfus and Angel Martinez, who were called up at some point during the season, both finished the year above a .220 batting average. Yes, that's obviously not eye-popping, but they each had moments where they put the team on their back in an outstanding performance.

Martinez's breakout came on July 6, when he slapped a grand slam to help lead the team to a 10th-inning win over the Houston Astros, 10-6. Kayfus, who played way less time than Martine, had his moment come in early August, where he knocked two doubles for three RBIs in a 9-5 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Their contributions were fueled by veteran leaders like Jose Ramirez, who were still maintaining incredible consistency, but being able to help stabilize the roster was what made those prospects so important to the team.

That combination of resilience, perfect timing on building momentum and clubhouse unity are things that made 2025 special, but are all characteristics that are very hard to replicate.

Heading into spring training and the start of a new season, Vogt specified one of the coaching staff's primary focuses is keeping communication transparent. He wants to make sure everyone, from the front office to the coaches to the players, is all on the same page and ready to go. After all, he does have World Series expectations in his head.

"You know, we're starting at this point in spring, but the goal is to be ramped up, ready to play seven months, Vogt said. "Our workload looks that way. It's ramping up to be ready for opening day. Just that communication that goes on, and they understand there's going to be days where we're working really hard.

"Then we're going to have some days where we back off and have some fun, but players just want to know why you're doing things and what we're going to be doing, and we try our best to communicate that."

The Guardians' first chance to jump back on the field will be on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 3:05 p.m. EST against the Cincinnati Reds. The two sides will start off spring training with a good-ole fashioned in-state rivalry.