Guardians’ Stephen Vogt etches name into history books with Manager of the Year win

Stephen Vogt never blinked during the Guardians’ 2025 season. He didn’t blink when they got off to an okay start. He didn’t blink when they went on a 10-game losing streak and lost two important pitchers to a sports betting investigation. 

And he didn’t blink when his team rattled off a historic comeback to go from being 15 1/2 games back in the American League Central to clinching the division title on the final day of the season. 

On Tuesday, Vogt earned one of MLB’s top honors for his ability to lead the Guardians through their roller coaster season when he was named the American League Mangager of the Year for the second season in a row. 

With the win, Vogt technically became the fourth manager to win the award in back-to-back seasons, joining Bobby Cox (2004-05), Kevin Cash (‘20-21) and Brewers manager Pat Murphy, who also won his second straight Manager of the Year on Tuesday. 

Stephen Vogt records second straight Manager of the Year award win

This season was pretty much the exact opposite of the Guardians' 2024 season. In 2024, Vogt took over for future Hall of Famer Terry Francona and led the Guardians to an American League Central title despite taking over for a roster that had  won just 76 games prior.

The Guardians led the division for almost all of the season and made the postseason a forgone conclusion. 

In 2025, the Guardians lost two pitchers to a suspension, traded Shane Bieber away at the deadline and had to navigate multiple potential season-destroying losing streaks. 

But they caught fire at the right time and capitalized on a collapse from the Tigers to take the division title on the final day of the season despite having one of the worst offenses in all of baseball. 

They finished the season by going 19-4 in September before bowing out to the Tigers in the American League Wild Card Series. 

“All the credit goes to the players,” Vogt said, per MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. “They kept their heads up, they didn't get down, they kept their resiliency, and they never quit. We had every reason in the world to quit, and they never did, and I'm so proud of them.”

Vogt becomes the second Cleveland manager to win multiple Manager of the Year awards, joining Francona (2013, 2016 and 2022). He beat out Toronto’s John Schneider and Seattle’s Dan Wilson for the award. 

Murphy is his National League counterpart for the second straight year after they both won the award in 2024 as first year managers. He’s a baseball lifer who took over for previous manager Craig Counsell and has led the Brewers to back-to-back American League Central championships. 

The Brewers and Guardians routinely rank at the bottom of the rankings in payroll, but have turned into perennial contenders thanks in large part to the men at the top steps of their dugouts. 

Tuesday was even more confirmation of that.