Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said he wanted a manager with a fresh perspective when he began the search to find the successor to Terry Francona, who retired after 11 seasons in the Cleveland dugout. Stephen Vogt checks that box.
Vogt on Nov. 10 was introduced as the Guardians’ new manager. He seems comfortable in his new role after spending 2023 as the bullpen coach of the Seattle Mariners. Vogt, 39, spent 10 seasons as a catcher in the Major Leagues. He retired as a player after the 2022 season.
“I don’t feel any pressure to replace Tito,” Vogt said. “You can’t. You can’t fill those shoes. This is one of the greatest managers our game has ever seen.”
Vogt said he did talk with Francona during the days Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff were vetting Vogt. Those conversations made his respect for Francona grow bigger than it already was.
“Getting to talk with him confirmed everything my little interactions with him over the years and any preconceived notions or things I heard of him are true,” Vogt continued. “He’s such an unbelievable human being. He just confirmed everything I was feeling about the Guardians’ people. Those were my questions.
“I didn’t ask him any baseball questions. I asked him about people. He confirmed everything I was feeling.”
The Indians/Guardians were 921-757 under Francona. He is the winningest manager in franchise history. Lou Boudreau (1942-50) is second with 728 wins. Francona, who managed the Phillies and Red Sox before taking the job in Cleveland, ranks 17th in MLB history with 1,806 career victories managing in 23 seasons.
• Antonetti confirmed pitching coach Carl Willis, first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. and hitting coach Chris Valaika are being retained. The Guardians are hoping bench coach DeMarlo Hale stays on the job, but Hale has not confirmed he will be back for a fourth season in Cleveland.
Third base coach/infield coach Mike Sarbaugh, bullpen coach Rigo Beltran and replay coordinator Mike Barnett will not be with the Guardians in 2024.
• I am curious what goes into a player choosing to wear a particular number on his uniform. Sometimes there’s a story there. Sometimes there isn’t.
Vogt will wear “12” on the back of his Guardians jersey, and there is a reason why he made that choice.
“I wore 21 the majority of my career, but obviously that one is taken here for good reason,” he said.
Bob Lemon, a pitcher for the Indians from 1946-58, wore 21. Lemon’s number is retired. He spent his entire career with the Indians. He finished 207-128 with a 3.23 ERA and is in the Hall of Fame.
“I wore 12 when I was in Milwaukee (2018),” Vogt said. “That was the year I was injured. That was when I really confirmed I wanted to be a manager one day. When I saw 12 was available, it just felt right. It’s the reverse of 21 and was the number I wore the year I solidified I wanted to be a manager. So we’re going to go with 12.”
Francona’s uniform number was 77, but he rarely wore it, instead choosing to wear another top with “Guardians” on the front.
![The Guardians reached agreement with all seven of their players eligible for arbitration before it got to the point where an arbitrator had to side with either the player or the club. Compromise is always the best solution. Here is the list of the seven players with new contracts, showing what they made in 2023 and what they will make in 2024: • Pitcher Shane Bieber: $10.1 million in 2023, $13,125,000 in 2024. • Pitcher Triston McKenzie: $739,000, $1.6 million. • First baseman/DH Josh Naylor: $3.35 million, $6.5 million. • Reliever Scott Barlow: $5.3 million, $6,7 million. • Reliever James […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/TNH-L-Guardians-0514-44-1.jpg?w=464 "The Guardians reached agreement with all seven of their players eligible for arbitration before it got to the point where an arbitrator had to side with either the player or the club. Compromise is always the best solution. Here is the list of the seven players with new contracts, showing what they made in 2023 and what they will make in 2024: • Pitcher Shane Bieber: $10.1 million in 2023, $13,125,000 in 2024. • Pitcher Triston McKenzie: $739,000, $1.6 million. • First baseman/DH Josh Naylor: $3.35 million, $6.5 million. • Reliever Scott Barlow: $5.3 million, $6,7 million. • Reliever James […]")
![The 2023 calendar year witnessed numerous highs and lows for the Browns, Cavaliers and Guardians. It also witnessed the death of an icon that transcended the sport he dominated and the retirement of the winningest manager in the history of Cleveland baseball. But don’t close the book on 2023 just yet because the best story of the year is still being written. 1. Browns make playoffs despite injuries: The Browns’ march to the playoffs not only is the best thing that happened on the Cleveland sports scene in 2023; it has become such a feel-good story because of all the […]](https://www.morningjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/TNH-L-BrownsJets-1229-40.jpg?w=213 "The 2023 calendar year witnessed numerous highs and lows for the Browns, Cavaliers and Guardians. It also witnessed the death of an icon that transcended the sport he dominated and the retirement of the winningest manager in the history of Cleveland baseball. But don’t close the book on 2023 just yet because the best story of the year is still being written. 1. Browns make playoffs despite injuries: The Browns’ march to the playoffs not only is the best thing that happened on the Cleveland sports scene in 2023; it has become such a feel-good story because of all the […]")
