Guardians Radio Broadcaster Discusses Stephen Vogt Hire And Roster

Longtime Cleveland radio broadcaster Jim Rosenhaus recently appeared on MLB Network's "High Heat," discussing the team's hiring of Stephen Vogt and power hitting.

The Cleveland Guardians have made some changes to their organization this offseason.

So far, they have hired Stephen Vogt as the franchise’s new manager in early November, added five new coaches to their Major League staff three weeks later, and completed multiple transactions related to their 40-man roster.

On Wednesday, Guardians radio broadcaster Jim Rosenhaus appeared on MLB Network’s “High Heat,” where he discussed the team’s hiring of Vogt and the team’s roster ahead of the 2024 season.

A new era of baseball is getting underway in Cleveland!

Jim Rosenhaus previews Stephen Vogt's first season at the helm and what the @CleGuardians may look to add in the free agent market.@GuardiansRadio | #HighHeat pic.twitter.com/GCINaZEpUU

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 27, 2023

Regarding the Vogt hiring, Rosenhaus believes that the team found a manager who shares a mindset with his predecessor, who became the winningest manager in franchise history.

“I think the key values that the Guardians were looking for were some similarities in terms of what they’ve had with Terry Francona for so long. And that’s someone who’s going to care about the players, be a ‘player’s manager’ so to speak, and just handle things in a way that will work for them.”

Nov 10, 2023; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt talks to the media during an introductory press conference at Progressive Field / © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

In terms of the team’s roster, Rosenhaus was asked about his thoughts on the Guardians potentially trying to add more power to their lineup.

“I’m not sure where those bats come from. There may be some internal options that they’re hoping develop quickly. But it certainly is something that they’re looking at. How do they score more runs? That’s a big key, because I think they’re very confident in what they have pitching-wise, especially starting pitching-wise.”

There are some young power hitters on Cleveland’s 40-man roster, such as Johnathan Rodríguez, Jhonkensy Noel, and newly-acquired Estevan Florial, each of whom hit at least 27 home runs in Minor League play this season.

Time will tell if any of them will get an opportunity to play for the Guardians at the Major League level in 2024.