Guardians Rookie Skipper Wins 2024 Manager Of The Year

Stephen Vogt wins American League Manager of the Year after his rookie season as the Cleveland Guardians' skipper.

Oct 12, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) celebrates defeating the Detroit Tigers during game five of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians may have come up just short of a World Series appearance, but Stephen Vogt can still say he had a successful season as a first-year skipper.

On Tuesday night, the rookie manager was named the American League's Manager of the Year after receiving 27 of the first-place votes. Vogt is the third different skipper in Cleveland franchise history to win the award. The other two were Terry Francona (2013, 2016, and 2022) and Eric Wedge (2007).

The other two managers Vogt beat out for the award were two of his AL Central counterparts. Matt Quatraro of the Kansas City Royals received two first-place votes, and A.J. Hinch of the Detroit Tigers earned one first-place vote.

It's important to note that while all of these teams were in the playoffs, voting for the awards took place before the postseason began.

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This season will go down as one of the best in Cleveland baseball history, thanks to the job the Cleveland rookie manager did.

Vogt took over the Guardians after future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona stepped down following the 2023 season. Cleveland was a 76-win team that year and finished third in the American League Central.

Oct 14, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt listens during a press conference before playing against the New York Yankees in game one of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Guardians didn't make any drastic roster moves following 2023, but Cleveland still found itself in the ALCS, thanks in large part to Vogt's leadership.

Cleveland also lost numerous members of their starting rotation, including former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber, during the season. However, this never affected Cleveland's on-field production. This is

Vogt built the perfect staff and a game plant his players clearly bought into from before spring training into opening day throughout the 162-game regular season.

This award seems to be just the beginning of a long, successful career for Vogt as the Guardians manager.