Stephen

Vogt

Vogt and the Guardians never made the news public, but the winner of back-to-back AL Manager of the Year awards will not have 2026 be the final year of his contract. The 41-year-old will be tasked with trying to get Cleveland into the postseason for a third-consecutive season this summer.

Vogt received 17 first-place votes to edge John Schneider, who got 10 first-place votes to finish second. Dan Wilson came away with a pair of first-place votes and Alex Cora also received one to finish third and fourth, respectively. The 41-year-old skipper, who helped guide the Guardians to an improbable late-season comeback to wrestle the AL Central division crown from Detroit this past season, earns the honor for the second straight season, joining Bobby Cox, Kevin Cash and Pat Murphy as the only repeat winners since 1983. He’s gone 180-143 (.557) in two seasons at the helm in Cleveland.

It’s notable that all three finalists are former catchers with Vogt checking in as one for the second consecutive campaign after guiding Cleveland to an improbable late-season comeback to wrestle the AL Central division crown from Detroit. Schneider finds himself among the finalists for the first time in his six seasons at the helm while Dan Wilson is one in just his second year as Seattle’s skipper. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 11.

Vogt, who led Cleveland to a 92-win season in his managerial debut, received 27 of 30 first-place votes to take home the hardware just two years after his final season of his playing career. Royals skipper Matt Quatraro came in second and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch finished third in balloting.

Fink was the Guardians’ minor league hitting coordinator the last three years, so he’ll have some familiarity with some of the Cleveland hitters. He replaces Chris Valaika, who left the Guardians to join Terry Francona’s staff in Cincinnati.

It’s a bit jarring to see three managers from the same division in the mix here, but the trio are all deserving candidates after leading the Tigers, Royals, and Guardians, respectively, to the postseason. Hinch might be a slight favorite after engineering a pretty unexpected turnaround in Detroit last season, guiding the club to an 86-win season and a playoff berth. The same goes for Quatraro, who took Kansas City from 56 wins in his managerial debut to 86 victories this past season. Vogt was at the helm for 92 wins and an AL Central division title in his managerial debut.

That means the Guardians will pick first in the 2024 MLB Draft. The Reds also benefitted greatly from Tuesday’s lottery, as they moved up from what would have been the 14th pick in the first round, all the way up to the second selection. The Rockies, Athletics and Royals — each of whom had the best odds at securing the top pick at 18.3 percent — will pick third, fourth and sixth respectively — with the White Sox moving up to the fifth pick. The Cardinals, Angels, Pirates and Nationals will round out the top 10.

Correa spent the last three seasons as the Giants’ bench coach, and even had a three-game stint a few weeks ago as San Francisco’s interim manager following the late-September firing of manager Gabe Kapler. The 35-year-old joins newly-minted Guardians manager Stephen Vogt’s coaching staff and will likely be involved in at least some capacity with infielders and defensive instruction.

It appears likely that Craig Counsell turned them down and the Guardians moved on to the second choice. Vogt, who was serving as the Mariners’ bullpen coach, gets the managerial gig just one year after his retirement as a player. The 39-year-old hit .239/.301/.406 in 10 years as a major leaguer. He’s replacing Terry Francona in Cleveland.

Vogt, who retired as a player after the 2022 season, spent this year as the Mariners’ bullpen coach. Going straight from that to major league manager would be quite a leap, but Vogt might be up for it. He also interviewed for the Giants’ opening.