The Cleveland Guardians have found their leader.
If some fans or analysts still had any doubts about Stephen Vogt and whether he was the right guy for the job, what he’s done lately should be more than enough to put those doubts at ease.
That’s why the players want to make it loud and clear that they fully stand by him.
Notably, that includes backup catcher Austin Hedges.
When asked about his manager, the veteran backstop had nothing but praise for Vogt:
“I love that guy. That’s our leader. We’re not here without him. It’s tough to put into words what he means to our group, because everybody means so much. But he’s the guy doing it every day. And as proud as I am of our group, I am extremely proud of Stephen Vogt,” Hedges said.
Hedges: "I love that guy. That’s our leader. We’re not here without him. It's tough to put into words what he means to our group, because everybody means so much. But he's the guy doing it every day. And as proud as I am of our group, I am extremely proud of Stephen Vogt."
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) September 28, 2025
Vogt has always been quite supportive of Hedges.
While he’s still ridden with Bo Naylor for most of the season, he’s gone as far as to call Hedges the best defensive catcher in the game.
The Guardians had to go through a whole lot more than the average team to get to this point.
No team had ever overcome such a big deficit to win its division in MLB history.
We’re talking about a team that trailed by as many as 15.5 games at one point in the season.
Of course, that also speaks volumes about how the Detroit Tigers squandered their lead and struggled to maintain their momentum.
However, the Guardians also deserve all the credit in the world for the way they continued to fight and push through adversity, regardless of how difficult the context seemed.
This team is special because of how much they believe in their leader and in one another, and Vogt deserves a lot of credit for what he has done.
NEXT: Guardians Make MLB History With Impressive September Climb
