Is Cleveland Guardians Skipper A Lock To Win Manager Of The Year?

Stephen Vogt should be a candidate for the American League Manager of the Year in his first year with the Cleveland Guardians.

Sep 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, middle, celebrates with players after the Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. The Guardians clinched a playoff berth with the win. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Filling the void that future Hall of Fame Manager Terry Francona left when he stepped down as the Cleveland Guardians' skipper was an impossible task for whoever the front office chose to take his place.

However, first year manager Stephen Vogt has done more than live up the hype and is a real candidate to win Manager of the Year.

With just about a week in the regular season left, we can start seriously talking about who will win the season awards. When it comes to American League Manager of the Year, should Vogt be a lock to win the award?

The Guardians have already clinched a spot in the postseason and are closing in on winning the American League Central division.

This has been a season in which the team lost its ace, Shane Bieber, after just two starts and had to send down one of its other starters because of underperformance. Still, this rotation has held itself together all season.

Cleveland also took a massive jump on offense compared to a year ago. In 2023, it was the worst home run-hitting team in baseball. Now, they sit in the middle of the pack.

A manager has two critical jobs as the leader of a team. One of those is managing the bullpen and knowing when to take a starter out, which reliever to use, and how often a particular pitcher can throw.

Sep 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, right, celebrates with his players after the Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins and clinched a playoff berth at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

In just his first season, Vogt has led the best bullpen in baseball, which is arguably the reason the Guardians are heading back to the playoffs.

The other key role of a manager is being a leader in the clubhouse. No one can argue that the culture Vogt established in year one has been one of the reasons for his team's success. This team truly cares for one another and wants to see their teammates succeed.

Just look at Vogt's emotional reaction to Kyle Manzardo and Josh Naylor embracing after a go-ahead home run against the Minnesota Twins earlier last week.

Vogt's biggest competition for Manager of the Year is likely fellow AL Central manager Matt Quatraro of the Kansas City Royals.

Quatraro has helped the Royals go from a 56-win team in 2023 to an 80-plus-win team and likely a playoff team in 2024. That's quite an accomplishment and more than deserving of recognition.

However, the biggest difference between these two teams is that the Royals went out and added in free agency. They signed Cy Young candidate Seth Lugo, and veterans Michael Wacha, Hunter Renfroe, Adam Fraizer, and Will Smith.

Yes, a 30-game swing is a lot. But with these moves, Kansas City was bound to be a better team with these moves.

On the other hand, the Guardians brought back almost the same roster and lost players for various reasons throughout the season. They also went from a team with a losing record in 2023 to a 90-win-plus in this season.

So to answer the question, is Vogt a lock to win AL Manager of the Year?

Not quite.

What Quatraro has done with the Royals has been extremely impressive and is more than deserving of first-place votes.

But yes, I'm biased, and I think the winner should be Vogt.

It will be interesting to see what point of view and perspective the baseball writers have when they cast their votes for for the award.