Stephen Vogt Gets Snubbed For Major MLB Award

For the last two years, Stephen Vogt’s name was a given whenever the AL Manager of the Year conversation came around. He won the award in 2024 and again in 2025, becoming one of the most decorated young managers in baseball. This year, though, the voters went in a different direction. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced its finalists on Monday, and Cleveland’s skipper was not among them. Justin Lada pointed out that Vogt is “not a finalist for AL Manager of the Year for the first time” since taking over in Cleveland.

“Stephen Vogt is not a finalist for AL Manager of the Year for the first time in his three year tenure with Cleveland,” Lada wrote.

Stephen Vogt is not a finalist for AL Manager of the Year for the first time in his three year tenure with Cleveland.

— Justin L. (jlbaseball on bluesky) (@JL_Baseball) November 2, 2026

The three AL finalists are Kevin Cash of the Rays, Chad Tracy of the Red Sox and Will Venable of the White Sox. Cash led Tampa Bay to a 98-64 record and the AL East title, a 21-win improvement over 2025. Tracy took over in Boston after Alex Cora’s departure and went 77-58 the rest of the way. Venable guided Chicago to an 84-78 record and became the first manager to reach the playoffs after two straight 100-loss seasons. The winner will be announced on Nov. 10.

There is a strong argument that Vogt deserved a spot. Cleveland went 85-77 and won its third straight AL Central title, finishing ahead of Venable’s White Sox. The Guardians did it with one of the lowest payrolls in baseball and an offense that ranked 24th in runs scored. They also had to survive long stretches without José Ramírez and Angel Martínez after injuries in the same June game against Detroit.

The way Cleveland finished the season makes the snub even more surprising. On Aug. 18, the Guardians’ playoff odds sat at just 24.4 percent. On Sept. 3, they were 70-70 and three games out of first place. Vogt’s team then went 15-6 down the stretch to take the division, the kind of late season push that usually catches voters’ attention. He also leaned on a long list of rookies, including Parker Messick, Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana, and all three became key contributors.

Vogt’s work in October only strengthened his case, but it did not count. Ballots are submitted before the postseason begins, so voters never factored in Cleveland’s comeback from an 0-2 deficit against Venable’s White Sox in the ALDS. It was the first time in franchise history the club had rallied from that kind of hole to win a series.

Even small details showed how sharp Vogt was this year. Cleveland won 30 of 41 replay challenges, a 73.2 percent success rate that was by far the best of his three seasons. Over three years, he owns a 265-220 record and three division titles.

Award voting is never easy, and Cash, Tracy and Venable all had strong seasons. Still, leaving Vogt off the list feels like a case of voters growing used to Cleveland winning. The good news for Guardians fans is that Vogt is staying put despite outside interest, and he will be back in the dugout in 2027 looking to bring a championship to Cleveland.