Guardians Hire Stephen Vogt As Franchise’s 45th Manager

Cleveland has named the former MLB all-star catcher and Seattle Mariners bullpen and quality control coach as Terry Francona's successor.

Just over a month after their final 2023 regular season game, the Cleveland Guardians’ search for their new manager is finally over.

The team just announced that Stephen Vogt has been named the 45th manager in Cleveland franchise history.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Guardians have signed Vogt to a three-year contract.

The 39-year-old succeeds future Hall-of-Fame manager Terry Francona, who led the Guardians for the last 11 seasons and became the franchise’s all-time winningest manager.

We believe in Stephen Vogt.

We have hired Stephen Vogt as the 45th manager in franchise history.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/OA9WfVy0Vr

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) November 6, 2023

Cleveland President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti shared his thoughts on the hire in the team’s official press release:

“We’re thrilled to welcome Stephen and his family to Northeast Ohio and to name him the next manager of the Cleveland Guardians. Stephen earned a reputation as one of the best teammates in the game across his 16-year career as a player, and we've greatly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him over the past several weeks. Stephen has thought critically about the type of leader and manager he wants to be. His deep care for others, his ability to build meaningful relationships with those around him, and his open-mindedness and curiosity make him an ideal fit to lead our club moving forward. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Stephen.”

Vogt, who has not managed at any professional level, brings a wealth of baseball experience to Cleveland. He interviewed for the Guardians’ managerial position twice this offseason.

Vogt played 10 MLB seasons with six different teams, primarily as a catcher, and was a two-time all-star with the Oakland Athletics in 2015 and 2016.

Shortly after retiring following the 2022 season, he was named a bullpen and quality control coach for the Seattle Mariners this past January.

Jul 4, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Seattle Mariners bullpen coach and quality control coach Stephen Vogt (13) walks on the field before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park / © Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

Despite not serving as a manager before, Vogt has already been vouched by multiple MLB managers to one day fulfill the role, including future Hall-of-Famer and current Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, who just led Texas to its first World Series title this year.

With this new managerial hire, a new era of Cleveland Guardians Baseball has been ushered, and it will begin with the 2024 season.