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Stephen Vogt has what it takes for Guardians to be in future MLB postseason mix | Opinion
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- Stephen Vogt has what it takes for Guardians to be in future MLB postseason mix | Opinion
CLEVELAND — Guardians manager Stephen Vogt is "the belief guy," and his players love him for it.
The 2025 Guardians season ended Oct. 2 in disappointment with Cleveland's 6-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series at Progressive Field.
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But there should be a belief the Guardians will be in the playoffs with regularity during the Vogt era.
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Ownership is frugal. Homegrown players are often traded when they ascend and become expensive. Pitching is developed well. Hitting is not. Given those guidelines, ending a 77-year World Series title drought appears to be akin to mission impossible.
The Guardians hired the right successor to future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona, though. Vogt has squeezed an awful lot of juice out of the teams he's had in each of his first two seasons in Cleveland.
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The Guardians (92-69 in 2024 and 88-74 in 2025) have back-to-back AL Central Division championships to show for it. They also have the 2024 AL Championship Series appearance, which ended with a 4-1 loss to the New York Yankees , and the 2025 AL Wild Card Series, which just wrapped up with a 2-1 defeat.
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Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) has a word with an official during the ninth inning of Game 2 of the American League wild card series at Progressive Field, Oct. 1, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
2025 Guardians encountered skids and a sports betting scandal
None of those is a World Series, and, on the surface alone, failure to advance as far as last year could be seen as an indictment of Vogt. However, context matters.
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Coming off an ALCS, the Guardians front office certainly didn't "go for it" with how it operated during the 2025 offseason. The approach changed expectations for what Vogt would be able to accomplish in his second season at the helm.
Then during the season, the Guardians had a 10-game losing streak before the All-Star break and lost nine of 10 amid another stretch in August.
Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt watches the flag raising after the Guardians beat the Texas Rangers and won the American League Central Division on Sept. 28, 2025, in Cleveland.
Starting pitcher Luis Ortiz and three-time All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase were banished from the Guardians because of an MLB sports betting investigation. Ortiz and Clase were placed on paid leave on July 3 and July 28, respectively, and they never returned.
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"I just remember all of us trying to stay positive after something like that happens, and [Vogt] reminding us that this is the team that we can have a lot of success with, even after that happened," Guardians utility player Daniel Schneemann said. "I think that just helped us still have a lot of confidence in this team and helped us keep it going.
"He's the type of manager that has a really good relationship with all of us, so he's someone that we can lean on once something like that happens. He knows exactly how to handle those things."
The MLB trade deadline and injuries impacted the Cleveland Guardians during Stephen Vogt 's second season as their manager
The July 31 trade deadline included the Guardians dealing 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays with his comeback from Tommy John surgery on the horizon. The Guardians also terrified their fans by listening to trade offers for Steven Kwan before eventually standing pat with the two-time All-Star left fielder.
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Utility player David Fry and outfielder Lane Thomas — two Guardians heroes of the 2024 playoffs — were sidelined for most of the regular season and didn't reach its finish line.
Extenuating circumstances changed external and internal expectations, but Vogt is "the belief guy."
"He knows how to treat you like a person rather than just a commodity or a shortstop or a pitcher," Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi said. "He treats you like a human being.
"That alone goes so far when you're showing up every day, and you're taking right hooks off the chin and you're down and you need help getting back up. He knows when to have those conversations with you, with the team, with everybody."
Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt relieves pitcher Slade Cecconi in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers during Game 3 of a Wild Card Series on Oct. 2, 2025, in Cleveland.
Stephen Vogt's MLB playing career influences his leadership style
When Vogt played for the Oakland Athletics , fans chanting "I believe in Stephen Vogt" became a thing.
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Vogt, 40, had a magical quality as a catcher, first baseman and outfielder. His kids played the roles of public-address announcers on Oct. 5, 2022, by introducing him before he stepped into the batter's box during his final game in Oakland. Later, in the seventh inning, he hit a home run during the last at-bat of his career. A two-time All-Star and fan favorite known for clutch moments, Vogt has infused his managerial style with unwavering optimism.
Without it, the Guardians would not have made MLB history by coming back from a 15½-game deficit in the standings to essentially steal the AL Central crown from the Tigers. The rally loses luster with the playoff loss to the Tigers, though practically no one had the Guardians pulling it off to reach the postseason in the first place.
"[Vogt is] the ultimate leader, what you want from a manager," Guardians relief pitcher Tim Herrin said. "He truly believes in each and every one of us, and even when our backs are against the wall, like we were at the end of August, he had a team meeting. He wanted us to believe. He believed in us."
In 2024, "the belief guy" won the AL Manager of the Year Award. For an encore in 2025, he proved he's not a one-hit wonder.
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The Guardians are far from perfect, but they made a perfect hire when they chose Vogt to fill Francona's shoes.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com . On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Stephen Vogt gives Guardians requisite belief to continue to contend
