Cleveland Guardians Manager Stephen Vogt Will Relate To Young Roster

Cleveland's new manager realizes that the way younger players understand the game has changed, and wants to make his players feel comfortable.

This past Friday, the Cleveland Guardians conducted a press conference to introduce their new manager, Stephen Vogt.

With his official introduction as Cleveland’s 45th manager in franchise history, Vogt is now the second-youngest MLB manager at 39 years old.

He adds to the already young organization that Cleveland has.

As of September 12th, the Guardians have the second-youngest average player age in baseball. Of the players currently on Cleveland’s 40-man roster, just three of them are at least 30 years of age: relief pitcher Michael Kelly (31), catcher Christian Bethancourt (32), and third baseman José Ramírez (31).

Having played in as recently as 2022, Vogt should relate to his players and their experiences very well.

Nov 10, 2023; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, left, shakes hands with new manager Stephen Vogt during an introductory press conference at Progressive Field.

© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

He realizes that the game and how players experience it has indeed changed over the years.

“I do think that’s a strong suit, the fact I just got done playing. I’ve played against, or with, or alongside a lot of the guys that are going to be in uniform. And knowing the way younger players tick, what they’re thinking, what they’re feeling, it’s very different from when I got to the Big Leagues not too long ago.”

Vogt believes that understanding his players and making them comfortable on the team is a top priority for Cleveland to succeed during his managerial tenure.

“Being able to relate to them, and knowing how to speak to them, being able to pick up on what they’re feeling, from their body language, what they’re thinking as they’re getting their feet wet. There’s nothing harder than making it to the Big Leagues and believing you belong. And the quicker I can help with that, and the staff can help with that, that’s going to be our number one goal. To get our young guys up and running and feeling comfortable.”