There have been some exciting developments coming out of the Cleveland Guardians camp thus far, and this season can’t start soon enough. The 5-8 record so far means nothing, and the important part is that the veterans are knocking the rust off and the young guys are seizing their opportunities to carve out more playing time for themselves.
This point of the baseball calendar is affectionately seen as the “best shape of their life” season, and that’s no different for the Guardians. They may not be racking up the wins in Spring Training, but manager Stephen Vogt loves what he sees and believes his guys are prepared for another run at an AL Central crown.
Vogt appeared on MLB Network to boast about his team, and he is a big fan of what he has seen so far.
He reminded everyone that this team played its best down the stretch last year, and there is every reason to believe the Guardians can do that again.
“We played our best baseball the last five weeks of the season, and we have all of those guys back. They all got in the weight room. They’re all bigger, stronger, and faster. We feel really good about where our group is coming into 2026,” Vogt said.
"We played our best baseball the last five weeks of the season, and we have all of those guys back."
With the @CleGuardians looking to retain their division title, could Stephen Vogt win his third straight AL Manager of the Year award? 😅
MLB Network + @SageUSAmerica pic.twitter.com/SUGvAEqn5V
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 3, 2026
Vogt is the first manager ever to win Manager of the Year in their first two seasons at the helm, and if he can lead this team to a third straight division title after such a quiet offseason, he will be in the mix to win again. He has opened up about how this team might look different this year, including the role of star outfielder Steven Kwan, who might see some time in center field this season as Chase DeLauter and George Valera get accustomed to regular playing time around him.
Once the moving parts are settled, this offense could look a lot different in 2026 and be much-improved from the anemic production it put forth last year. Hopefully Vogt is right and everyone’s added strength results in a lot more doubles and homers.
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