Former Oakland A's Fan Favorite Joins Seattle Mariners Coaching Staff

After ten seasons in Major League Baseball, Stephen Vogt is shifting from playing to coaching. Tuesday, the Seattle Mariners announced that the former Oakland Athletics catcher would be the club's new quality control and bullpen coach.

After ten seasons in Major League Baseball, Stephen Vogt is shifting from playing to coaching.

Tuesday, the Seattle Mariners announced that Vogt would be the club's new quality control and bullpen coach.

The Skipper and his crew for the 2023 season 🫡

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) January 10, 2023

Vogt, 38, most recently played for the Oakland Athletics in 2022, slashing .161/.241/.562 with seven home runs and 23 RBI over 70 games. It was his first time playing in an A's uniform since 2017.

Vogt was selected in the 12th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, out of Azusa Pacific University. After 18 Major League games with the Rays, Vogt was designated for assignment Mar. 31, 2013. The A's acquired him less than a week later, trading cash considerations to Tampa in exchange for his services.

Vogt emerged as unlikely All-Star, making back-to-back trips to the MLB All-Star Game in 2015 and 2016. Vogt also made a name for himself as one of baseball's most talented and funny characters. His impersonation of motivational speaker Matt Foley, Chris Farley's Saturday Night Live character, as well as his impression of an NBA referee were big hits with Oakland fans. Soon after he featured his impressions on MLB Network's Intentional Talk, Oakland fans began attending games dressed as NBA officials, and the club distributed Stephen Vogt NBA Referee Bobbleheads.

The A's placed Vogt on waivers in June of 2016. The Milwaukee Brewers claimed him off waivers. He would go on to play for the San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves, before returning home to the A's in 2022.

Last week on the Jack Vita Show, former A's relief pitcher Ryan Dull praised Vogt, saying that he would one day make a great coach. It appears he was on to something.

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