Stephen Vogt reacts to second-straight AL Manager of the Year award

Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt won another American League Manager of the Year. Here's what he had to say.

Sep 25, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) stands on the steps of the dugout in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Stephen Vogt was an all-time replacement for Terry Francona.

The legendary skipper called it quits just a few seasons back, and the future of the organization looked to be up in the air. However, those doubts were put to rest immediately when Vogt walked into the room. He instantly set the tone, helped hold up the winning culture and has led this team to back-to-back playoff appearances.

And due to such feats being overcome, Vogt was named the 2025 American League Manager of the Year for the second-straight year, as voted upon by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

The award was announced on Tuesday, with Vogt beating out Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider and Seattle Mariners skipper Dan Wilson. Schneider received 10 first-place votes while Wilson snagged two, but Vogt led the way by a large margin with 20.

"This is so gratifying because I know how hard we worked," Vogt said. "I know how hard it was to show up every day at times... our entire group showed up believing we were going to win [every day] even in the midst of some rough stretches. We know it was going to turn at some point."

A solo achievement, but a group effort fueled by the power of friendship.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/Ycm2W9YGQu

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) November 12, 2025

Two AL Central titles came off the back of what people have been calling "Guards Ball," a term that describes the unique play the Guardians put out on the field each day. It consists of strong pitching, very inconsistent but somehow effective hitting and a knack for coming back and beating the odds.

Vogt, who's currently still in the midst of his first managerial gig, has been the driving force.

"The job that everyone did -- and I know I played a part in it -- but just to overcome everything that we did to win the division, get to the playoffs, I couldn't be more proud of our players," Vogt said in an interview. “... Our staff was overworked, but it's a really cool honor for the entire organization, and just a nod to the work that our team did.”

He's helped march this team to a 88-74 record in 205 and 92-69 record in 2024 for a total of 180 wins in two seasons.

This past year, he led the Guardians to an MLB record 15.5-game comeback to win a division, since 1969, or league, pre-1969. The 15.5 game deficit started on July 8, before they came back from down 11 games on the morning of Sept. 5 forward.

The Guardians were able to do all this with a mod-podge group of contributors, including multiple first and second-year professionals, while also having to overcome the loss of All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz due to suspension.

Vogt is just the fourth manager to win this award in consecutive seasons, joining Bobby Cash, who won in 2004 and 2005, Kevin Cash, who snagged his two in 2020 and 2021, and Pat Murphy, who's secured the last two alongside Vogt but in the National League.