The Cleveland Guardians’ Stephen Vogt is the first skipper ever to win Manager of the Year in his first two seasons on the job, capturing the American League honor last year and again next year.
So, the question people keep asking Vogt during the MLB Meetings is, can he win Manager of the Year a third season in a row in 2026? Some of the people asking Vogt are joking, but not all of them.
“I may have to win 120 games or something,” Vogt said with a smile. “I don't know. It's pretty cool. I'm very honored and really just proud of our guys.”
It might be hard to ever top the job Vogt did last season. The Guardians were 15 ½ games behind the Detroit Tigers on July 8, and still 11 games back on Sept. 4, yet rallied to win the American League Central title. That is the largest deficit a team has made up in MLB history.
That is a feat that would be difficult to ever match, even if the 41-year-old manages until he is 80. Vogt certainly understands that.
“I'd prefer to not have a 15-1/2 game hole this year,” Vogt said with a laugh. “I think the expectations or pressure it's all external. We expect to go out and win every game. We're trying to win as many games as we can so that we can have a chance to win a World Series. I think when that's our expectation -- whatever expectations or pressure is coming in from the outside, it's not as much as the pressure that we put on ourselves, and we can only accomplish one game at a time.”
That type of approach has worked well for Vogt during his two seasons on the job, as the Guardians have won the AL Central both years. They had a 92-69 record in 2024 and reached the American League Championship before losing to the New York Yankees. This year, they went 88-74 but got bounced out of the postseason by the Tigers in an AL Wild Card Series.
“We're going to continue to keep that the focus,” Vogt said. “And for me, I don't want to win the division, I want to win the World Series. If we win the division on the way to doing that, awesome. For me, we want that ultimate prize, and we're working every day for that.”