Stephen Vogt Talks Las Vegas, Coaching

Former A's catcher Stephen Vogt makes his first return to the Coliseum as a coach with the visiting Seattle Mariners

Stephen Vogt has watched the replay of his last at-bat hundreds of times. "It makes me smile. Coming back here, the first thought I had walking back out was what a cool moment that was for my family and for me. I think about it quite often."

Vogt said as he rounded the bases he felt like a three-year-old kid in his front yard. "The ball went out, and I could not believe that I got a pitch to hit like that and didn't miss it. Hitting a home run in your last at-bat of your entire life is something that you don't even dream of because you can't fathom it. It's a moment I'll never forget." 

Vogt played 528 games with the A's across six seasons spread out over ten years and was a quick fan favorite that spawned the "We Believe" chants in the right field bleachers. A's fans love Stephen Vogt and he loves them. He retired after the 2022 season and wasn't sure which direction he would head in with his playing days behind him. 

When the off-season rolled around he had some options, and some various offers from different teams, but he chose coaching because he wanted to stay in the game and stay on the field with the guys. 

"The biggest impact you can make in this game is being around everybody everyday. When you're going through the battles, when you're going through the ups and downs of the season, that's really when you can help people out and understand where they are each particular day. I know what it's like to go through a full season, so just to be able to help guys the little bit that I can with going through the rigors is why I wanted to stay on the field." 

Stephen is loving his role with the Mariners. "I really love being a coach. I love being around he game. I love just being available for people. It hasn't been all that difficult of a transition, just kind of being a backup catcher the last few years, you kind of have that player/coach mentality. I'm just happy I don't have to face Major League pitching anymore."

Vogt is also embracing the selfless nature of being a coach in the big leagues. "The biggest difference coaching is that there's nothing about your day that's about you. When you're a player, everything is about you preparing yourself to go out and do your job for the game. Now your job is to prepare to help the 26 guys go out and do their job. It's really not about you anymore. Not one aspect of it. When you're a player, it's a lot about you."

Oakland has been a special place for Vogt, and being a California native said the A's are Oakland. "Without getting into details because I don't know them, but obviously it was a sad day when you hear that announcement. I was sad, of course. It's the Oakland A's. I know nothing is final, nothing is in stone, but it stirred up a lot of emotions. Hopefully this situation just gets ironed out whatever direction it end ups going. It was a sad day."