The AL Central was a much-maligned division for years.
For much of the late 2010s and early 2020s, the Kansas City and the Detroit Tigers were among the worst teams in the league, while the Cleveland Guardians and the Minnesota Twins (and for a little while, the Chicago White Sox) shared the spotlight.
Now, the tide has turned: both the Royals and Tigers were contenders this year, while the Guardians got back to the top after a rough 2023.
All three squads had something in common: a great manager.
AJ Hinch took Detroit to the postseason after a brilliant stretch run, Matt Quatraro did the same with the Kansas City Royals and Stephen Vogt won 92 games with Cleveland and took them to the AL Championship Series.
Except for Hinch, they were relatively inexperienced managers, yet they showed leadership skills, an uncanny ability to communicate with their players, media availability and awareness, and baseball knowledge.
The three were the AL’s Manager of the Year finalists.
All three were worthy, deserving candidates, but the award went to the Guardians’ first-year skipper.
The AL Manager of the Year Award winner is Stephen Vogt of the @CleGuardians! pic.twitter.com/sqqNxhulgx
— MLB (@MLB) November 19, 2024
Vogt got 27 of the 30 first-place votes for the award.
Tasked with the responsibility of replacing a future Hall of Fame skipper in Terry Francona, Vogt became a players’ manager and quickly earned their trust.
A manager whose players trust him will get the best out of them: plain and simple.
You could see the Guardians loved playing under Vogt, and Cleveland showed the same brand of baseball that has made them successful since the mid-2010s: great pitching, hustle, smart baserunning, incredible defense and a bit of power.
Vogt and his roster won 92 games and lost just 69, won a playoff series against the Tigers and left it all on the field against the New York Yankees in an ALCS loss.
The current Guardians are a rock-solid squad, but the future is even brighter with Vogt at the helm.
He can now ‘AL Manager of the Year’ to his very young resume.
NEXT: Guardians Star Reliever Praises Team's Player Development Skills
