Before taking over as the Cleveland Guardians manager ahead of the 2024 campaign, Stephen Vogt had a long career as a major league catcher. He is very much aware of the importance that the position holds in the game.
Vogt knows how a good catcher can influence the outcome of a game with his leadership, throwing, blocking, and framing skills. However, the most important attribute for a good backstop is his ability to call games and guide pitchers.
A good, experienced catcher knows exactly what pitch his hurler needs to throw (and in which quadrant of the zone) to get out of a jam against a specific player. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of virtually every hitter around the league.
The league appears to be trending towards calling pitches from the dugout. Some teams are already experimenting with that strategy. The Guardians aren’t expected to follow suit, though, and Vogt made it very clear.
“We like our catchers to have ultimate control. They’re the ones back there with the feel and understanding. We can’t see everything from the side. The teams that are doing it, obviously they feel that if they can call the pitches, they’re going to gain a competitive advantage. I don’t think that’s going to happen in Cleveland anytime soon. We trust our catchers. I think catchers should be the ones calling the pitches,” Vogt said, per Cleveland.com.
Again, as a former catcher himself, it’s not hard to see why Vogt is willing to give them full control of the dynamics of the game and the pitch-calling aspect of it. If we additionally consider that Cleveland has two elite defensive catchers in Patrick Bailey and Austin Hedges, then the decision is an even easier one.
Bailey is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner behind the plate, and Hedges is a fantastic game-caller himself. Guardians pitchers are on the record saying how much they love working with him and how they allow him to guide them through the game, letting Hedges decide which pitches he wants depending on the situation and the hitter.
In a sense, it’s easy to take Vogt’s stance on the matter, having two true stars behind the plate. Still, it’s noteworthy to see such a modern organization trusting the more traditional route in this specific case.
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