Surprising Guardians Are Thriving Under New Manager Stephen Vogt.
The Cleveland Guardians lost a manager who will likely wind up in the Hall of Fame when Terry Francona retired at the end of last season.
And yet the Guardians haven’t missed a beat this season. In fact, they are thriving under new manager Stephen Vogt.
The Guardians have the third-best record in the major leagues at 36-18 even after having their nine-game winning streak snapped on Monday in an 8-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies in Denver. Cleveland leads the American League Central by 2 ½ games over the surprising Kansas City Royals.
“They finally got a decent manager,” the sharp-witted Francona said via text message.
The transition to Vogt has been seamless a third of the way through the season. Any questions about a first-year manager two years removed from playing have been answered.
However, Vogt gives credit to his players.
“I couldn’t be more pleased by how our guys are playing,” said Vogt, who retired as a player with the Oakland Athletics following the 2022 season. “You’re not going to win every game, you’re not going to win every series but our guys battle. They’re very resilient. When they get down, they punch you back. It’s been a lot of fun so far but there’s a long way to go but we’re going to keep it in the perspective that we’re going to take it one day at a time and be here for each other.”
The Guardians suffered a huge blow in April when right-hander Shane Bieber suffered a torn elbow ligament that required reconstructive surgery. He did not allow a run in two starts while striking out 20 in 12 innings
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Bieber was showing the form that helped him to win the AL Cy Young Award during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Eligible for free agency at the end of the season, the 28-year-old seemed to be setting himself for a big payday next winter.
