CLEVELAND (AP) — Stephen Vogt lingered in Cleveland's dugout after the season's final out, letting the moment fill him with both pain and purpose.
As the New York Yankees embraced on the field following their Game 5 win that clinched their first AL pennant since 2009 on Saturday night, Vogt, who in his first season as a major league manager took the Guardians deeper into the postseason than anyone thought possible, watched.
He made himself a promise.
“I want it next year and it’s never going to stop driving me,” Vogt said.
With the ALCS loss still stinging three days afterward, Vogt and Cleveland's top front office executives met media members on Tuesday to rehash the club's remarkable run in 2024 and discuss their plans to try and do it again.
This was supposed to be a rebuilding year. It was so much more.
Forecast to go .500 with one of baseball's youngest rosters, the Guardians took over first place in April and took off.
They won 92 games to capture the AL Central, suddenly MLB's most competitive division. The Guardians then rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the Division Series to advance past Detroit before pushing the star-studded Yankees as hard as they could — winning a magical Game 3 at home on a walk-off homer — before falling three wins shy of the World Series.
While the disappointment is real, so is the fact that Guardians grew.
“We know we have areas to improve, and we learned a lot about our players,” Vogt said. "We learned a lot about our staff. I learned a lot about how to do this job and navigating through the first season the way we did. We checked about every box you could other than winning the last game of the year and that’s what the goal is.”
At this time a year ago, the club was headed into a frightening unknown. Terry Francona, the winningest manager in club history and a certain Hall of Famer, had stepped down after 11 seasons, leaving a massive void.
Enter Vogt, who more than filled it.
The journeyman catcher was hired by the Guardians despite not having ever managed a game — at any level. He arrived with a reputation for being studious, hard-working and a great teammate known for his hilarious comical impersonations.
He nailed being a manager.
“We had really high expectations,” said Chris Antonetti, the club's president of baseball operations. “Stephen blew all of those out of the water. What he has been able to contribute as someone that’s new to the job, it’s a marvel to me. You could not expect someone who’s done what he’s done in the first year in any position and be as successful as he’s been.”
Antonetti noted how from the time he arrived, Vogt connected with his players personally and professionally. He gave them support, space and was able to get more out of them than they may have thought was possible.
Following the tough Game 5 loss in extra innings, Antonetti said there was a parade of players outside Vogt's office waiting to give him a hug and their thanks.
“It was so powerful to see,” Antonetti said.
Vogt wasn't perfect. He made his share of mistakes, and arguably a major one in Cleveland's last game when he elected to have Tanner Bibee pitch to Giancarlo Stanton in the sixth inning nursing a 2-0 lead with a base open, and the Yankees' slugger hit a game-tying, two-run homer.
Vogt said he's walking away without any regrets.
“When it works, it works,” he said. “And when it doesn’t, you are wrong. That’s just the way that this job works. I learned that this year, so I wouldn’t go back and change anything."
Maybe except the way it ended.
BYE BYE BIEBER?
Shane Bieber's 2024 season ended after two starts. It was also the likely ending to his career with Cleveland.
The 2020 Cy Young Award winner will be a free agent this winter, and the right-hander is expected to sign elsewhere as he comes back after Tommy John surgery. Bieber was drafted by Cleveland and went 62-32 in 134 starts.
If Bieber has pitched his last game for the Guardians, Antonetti said he's left a legacy.
“He sets the standard for how guys go about their work, not only when they’re competing but in between starts," he said. “Hopefully he will be here to continue that in person. But if not, his impact here will be felt for a long time.”
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Because he's only under contractual control for another season, All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor has been mentioned in trade speculation for months.
It's likely the Guardians will be approached about Naylor — that happens with most players — but the team doesn't appear to be in any hurry to part with the power hitter.
“Our expectation is Josh will be an anchor on our team in 2025 and who knows, hopefully beyond that,” Antonetti said. "At the same time, he’s a really good player and I imagine there will be other teams that will call us and ask about a variety of guys and that’s naturally what happens over the course of the winter.
“But our hope and expectation is that he’ll be with us an opening day next year.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Tom Withers, The Associated Press
