The Guardians Just Hit A Grand Slam With Their New Managerial Hire
When one of the best managers in the history of baseball steps down from their position, there are huge shoes to fill, and that is exactly what happened in Cleveland, Ohio, this fall.
Terry Francona retired as the manager of the Cleveland Guardians over a month ago, ending his 11-year run with the club.
It was heartbreaking that Cleveland could never win a World Series with Francona, but he had a great 11 years with the franchise and brought back meaningful baseball in a city that needed it the most.
The Guardians have gone the last month trying to find their replacement for Francona, and that search has finally come to an end on Monday afternoon.
The Guardians named Stephen Vogt as their new manager, and it might not have been who people wanted, but he is who the team needed.
Who Is Stephen Vogt?
Vogt, a former catcher, spent ten years playing in the MLB, mostly with the Oakland Athletics, retired in 2022, and then was named a bullpen and quality control coach for the Seattle Mariners for the 2023 season.
As you can see, Vogt does not have any prior managerial experience and only has been a coach for one season in the MLB, but it doesn't matter that much.
We have seen many managers hired from the broadcast booth, like when the New York Yankees hired Aaron Boone and the Chicago Cubs hired David Ross.
Vogt has been around the MLB for ten-plus years and knows the pulse of the league and the clubhouse.
Everyone prefers someone who has managed in the MLB before, but we must give Vogt a shot.
Every former teammate of his only has great things to say about him, which is precisely what you want from your manager.
You want people believing in him and saying outstanding things, and I think Vogt can be someone who comes and keeps the same culture that Francona built up over the past 11 seasons.
The great news for the Guardians is they already have a great clubhouse and culture and don't need anyone building it from the ground up.
Vogt will only come in and make it even better, and every Cleveland fan should be very excited about their new manager.
He is only 38 years old, and he is going to be able to relate to a lot of the young guys on the team.
Cleveland isn't exactly a dream job for many managers since they need a considerable payroll, so they wouldn't be able to get the cream of the crop like Craig Counsell, but Vogt was a great hire considering the resources this team has.
I am still determining how many games he will win or how he will even do, but there are a lot of positives surrounding him, which is excellent to start with.
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