Stephen Vogt was a solid major leaguer for a decade until retiring in 2022.
Everybody who had the chance to be around him knew that he was going to be an MLB manager someday.
He was appointed as the Cleveland Guardians’ skipper a few weeks ago, and will have the tough task of replacing one of the best managers in franchise history in Terry Francona.
Far from being overwhelmed by the responsibility, Vogt appears relaxed and prepared for the challenge.
“‘I’ve been building for this moment my whole career… A lot of my managers gave me a look behind the scenes.’ @CleGuardians manager Stephen Vogt talks about the hiring process in Cleveland and preparing a shift to coaching while he was still in the Minors years ago,” MLB Now tweeted.
"I've been building for this moment my whole career… A lot of my managers gave me a look behind the scenes."@CleGuardians manager Stephen Vogt talks about the hiring process in Cleveland and preparing a shift to coaching while he was still in the Minors years ago. pic.twitter.com/tkhsH4ERfr
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) December 6, 2023
Vogt revealed that “going into the interview process, the number one advice everybody told me was to be myself. If you are not their guy, you are not their guy. I’m never going to change who I am.”
Regarding group management, he stated that “you got to find those moments where the group needs to laugh or to lighten up. Just having a feel for that.”
One of Vogt’s strengths appears to be his ability to communicate with all parties to make sure everybody is pulling for the same objective.
“I can communicate with all these areas and make sure everybody is working together, for the 26 guys (on the roster),” he said.
When asked about his relative inexperience for the role (he only has one year of coaching, 2023 with the Seattle Mariners) he said he has been building for this moment for his whole career.
He recalls a manager in the Rays system that allowed him to stay in the dugout while he was injured, and giving him some assignments: “Outfield alignments, talking with him before and after games… I started building a coaching resume. That gave me a different perspective for my playing career, too.”
Last but not least, Vogt discussed the keys for him to gain the players’ trust: “Show them that I care about them. Everything we do in this industry is about them, to put them in a position to be successful.”
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