WATCH: Guardians' Stephen Vogt Reacts To Winning Manager Of The Year

Stephen Vogt's focus remains on the Cleveland Guardians' player after winning his first Manager of the Year award.

Mar 30, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) gestures after defeating the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Stephen Vogt wrapped a successful first season as the Cleveland Guardians skipper with the highest honor a manager can get. On Tuesday, it was announced that Vogt had won the 2024 American League Manager of the Year award.

Shortly after the award was given, Vogt spoke with the media and expressed his initial reaction to winning the award.

One of the main storylines coming into the year was how Vogt would fair replacing a future Hall of Fame manager in Terry Francona. The rookie skipper knew he couldn't try to replicate someone else; being true to himself was the only Vogt knew he would succeed.

"I knew I had to come in and be myself, said Vogt. "I knew I would never replace Tito or fill his shoes. I just wanted to come in and be me and help our players be as good as they could be and that was the goal from day one.

Oct 14, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians manger Stephen Vogt calls to the bull pen for a pitching change during the fourth inning against the New York Yankees in game one of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Even though this is an award given to managers, Vogt made sure to stress that seeing his players succeed every night and in big moments "are the rewarding moments."

"I got way more excited when any one of our guys hit a home run than I ever did about myself," said Vogt.

"That's the beauty of this role, and this job is that it's not about you. It's about your players and it's about their successes. You don't get to go out and hit. You don't get to go out and throw a pitch. There's really nothing I can do other than put people into positions where they can hopefully succeed and to see our guys go out and have success, those are the high moments."

This focus on the players is what made Vogt and the Guardians so successful in 2024, and it clearly appears to be a mindset that will continue into 2025 and throughout Vogt's managerial career.