Stephen Vogt reflects on first managerial job with Cleveland Guardians

Stephen Vogt came onto the Cleveland scene hot and heavy.

There was no adapting period, not much room for error and certainly no time to waste.

But through the ups and downs that any young manager is going to face, Vogt has welcomed the challenges presented to him head-on. Such efforts have led to him being named American League Manager of the Year in back-to-back seasons.

He's helped lead the Guardians to two MLB postseason experiences, one that brought them to the ALCS, where they fell to the New York Yankees, and another that unfortunately ended in a first-round exit. That's the sport, though. At times, you'll march deep into the postseason, and others you'll end up right back on your couch.

For Vogt, in his short time as an organization's main face and leader, he's learned a lot, understanding it is okay to ask questions.

“It's okay to not have the answers,” Vogt said. “It's okay to say, ‘I don't know’ or to use the resources around you. I think that's one of the things that I learned really early was that if I don't know, I'll ask the smart people around me to hopefully have the answer.”

In 2025, he had to learn a lot, probably more than most people at the age of 41 are able to in the sport of baseball.

Cleveland's major league roster was a mod podge group of experienced veterans, guys still trying to get their feet underneath themselves in the league and others who were barely over the legal drinking age in the States. They succeeded and struggled, with the ladder seemingly being the norm at Progressive Field.

But when it mattered the most, Vogt controlled the clubhouse and led the team to a historic comeback of 15.5 games to take first place in the AL Central.

Back when it occurred, catcher Austin Hedges, who's been praised as a staple for the Guardians, highlighted what Vogt was able to do for the team.

“[Vogt is] leading more than just the players," Hedges said back in late September. "He's leading the coaches and staff. Everybody is here contributing every single day to help us win today, and it all starts with Stephen Vogt.”

While the season obviously didn't end the way many wanted it to, the players and coaches showed they can defy the odds. Heading into the upcoming season, they'll have a chance to build off this newfound confidence boost and grow as an organization.

And with a described "affable, approachable and humble" leader controlling the clubhouse, they're in a great spot.

This new culture in Cleveland stems from the top down, with many other organizations around the league hoping to replicate it. However, none have a guy like Vogt.

He played professional baseball from 2007 through 2022, for a total of 16 years, spending time with multiple different teams in the league across various levels. He spent time 12 seasons in the minors and 10 seasons in the majors, showing a distinct knowledge of the game.

He was a respectable player as well, slashing .239/.301/.406 for an OPS of .707 in the majors and .302/.366/.467 for an OPS of .834 in the minors.

“I think the people right around my age or that era of player, we played through a very unique time where we broke into the big leagues and came up through the Minor Leagues with absolutely zero information,” Vogt said. “And then, during our big league careers, we had every piece of information thrown at us, and we were expected to go use that on the field. And so I think we were raised in an old-school world, but then we played through the transition.

“So now I feel like we have a very good understanding of how to apply information, while not losing sight of maybe the gut feel. And so I think it's a really unique time period from like 2008 to 2020 that we learned all of that.”

Vogt will have another tough task in 2026 as he looks to develop a young team that's still attempting to find a groove.

At the very least though, if bumps do start to form in the road, Cleveland's got a guy they can count on to weather the storm.