The Cleveland Guardians didn’t have the season the fans expected. Despite falling short, it was a positive campaign, all things considered.
The Guardians didn’t do their fans any favors early on, but after a roller coaster of events, they managed to make the playoffs. That’s why Stephen Vogt was named the 2025 AL Manager of the Year.
Analyst Nick Wilson recently had an honest admission about Vogt’s second straight honor.
“I think Stephen Vogt deserves this Manager of the Year award more than he did last year. Last year, he just had the hottest team in baseball for 90 games. This year, nothing went right, ever, and they still had the biggest comeback in baseball history. Stephen Vogt is doing a great job and he’s deserved to all the recognition attached to that,” Wilson said.
"I think Stephen Vogt deserves this Manager of the Year award more than he did last year. Stephen Vogt is doing a great job and he's deserved to all the recognition attached to that."
🚨 @NickWilsonSays and @JPeterlin on #Guardians Stephen Vogt winning back-to-back AL awards pic.twitter.com/L8JYSWQHgY
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) November 12, 2025
The Guardians had no business even being in the playoff picture late in the season, let alone winning the AL Central. They came back from a 15.5-game deficit to overtake the Detroit Tigers for the division title, which is the largest any team in MLB history had ever overcome.
The team struggled on offense throughout, and that ultimately came back to haunt them in the playoffs. But even with that, their cheaper payroll and the lack of moves at the MLB trade deadline, they got the job done.
Vogt’s merit goes beyond the tactics. It takes a special type of leader to make sure everybody’s focused, involved and motivated when everything seems to go wrong.
The Guardians found the right guy. Now, they have to work out a contract extension to keep Vogt around for years to come.
NEXT: Guardians Urged To Address 3 Key Positions In Offseason
