Former Braves catcher unsurprisingly takes home 2024 AL Manager of the Year award
Stephen Vogt wasn't a Brave for long but undoubtedly kept the 2021 eventual World Champs loose.
Stephen Vogt's coaching career has been meteoric. In 2021, he helped patch up a dire catcher situation with the Braves, in 2022, he was one of the few veterans on a very inexperienced Oakland Athletics team. In 2023, he was the Bullpen Coach with the Mariners. And now, in 2024, he can call himself AL Manager of the Year after leading the Cleveland Guardians to the ALCS.
If this seems like a rapid ascent for anyone, it's because it is. In fact, Vogt became the quickest to go from player to Manager of the Year, doing so in just two seasons.
Stephen Vogt last played in 2022. This is the fastest anyone has gone from player to MOY
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) November 19, 2024
prior record: 2006 Joe Girardi, played in ‘03 https://t.co/JwY7fkNqRj
Stephen Vogt's leadership should be no surprise to Braves fans
Stephen Vogt's numbers were far from impressive with the Braves. Acquired in 2021 to provide stability at the catcher position, he only hit 167/.241/.244 (30 wRC+), with his two homers coming in his final game in a Braves uniform before getting injured.
Stephen Vogt last homered on July 11 as a member of the Diamondbacks.
— Braves On FanDuel Sports Network (@FanDuelSNBraves) September 10, 2021
Stephen Vogt has now hit two home runs tonight. pic.twitter.com/wOulPZvJQc
However, while his on-field production left something to be desired, his leadership in the clubhouse did not go unnoticed. Vogt joined the team at a point where making the playoffs looked like a long shot.
Vogt made sure to keep things loose. The day of his two-homer game and subsequent injury, he busted out his signature referee routine that he had become known for in Oakland. He had noticed that the team needed a pick-me up and his ref routine did just that.
Stephen Vogt brought out his famous (in baseball circles) ref impersonation before tonight's game in the #Braves clubhouse, and had everyone cracking up. Here's an MLB Network video of it from his Oakland A's days.https://t.co/xziASzJNKb
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) September 10, 2021
Even after his injury, the Braves kept him in the clubhouse and even made sure he got to be with the Braves when the team clinched their first championship since 1995.
Vogt spent one last season with Oakland before moving on to coaching. When Cleveland played Atlanta this season, Brian Snitker noted that it didn't surprise him that his former catcher was already a manager, telling the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I looked at him as a manager-in-waiting when he was here as a player."
Vogt may not have been a Brave for very long. However, it's clear that the leadership he exemplified when he was with the World Series team has carried on into his role with the Cleveland Guardians, earning him the well-deserved Manager of the Year award.
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