Stephen Vogt deserves credit for the Angel Genao switch that just pushed Guardians one step closer to clinch

While Travis Bazzana is in the midst of a great finish to his rookie season, he’s still a bit of a subpar defender. It’s not to the point where he’s unplayable or should be moved to the outfield, but it’s clearly a part of his game that needs improvement. 

But one of the reasons why Bazzana’s defensive struggles haven’t become a big storyline is because manager Stephen Vogt has done a great job hiding his defensive deficiencies via late-game substitutions. 

Last night’s win over the Red Sox was perhaps the best example of that thanks to Angel Genao’s game-ending web gem that clinched the Guardians’ win over the Red Sox. It wasn’t the prettiest play in the world, but it counted all the same and helped drop the Guardians’ magic number to clinch a postseason spot down to two. 

Stephen Vogt's decision to sub Travis Bazzana for Angel Genao was genius

Genao’s game-ending play came on one of those funky plays that can only happen in baseball, as Red Sox infielder Nick Sogard tapped a routine grounder to Genao at second base. The only thing he needed to do to wrap up the win was flip the ball to first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. 

There was just one problem with that: Lowe wasn’t at first base after he had slipped trying to cut back to first base. But, instead of panicking, the fleet-footed Genao got on his horse and tagged first base right before Sogard could get there. 

While Sogard’s ball only had an expected batting average of .060, Lowe’s slip made it a much closer play than anyone in the Guardians’ dugout would have liked. 

But it was still a play that was made thanks to Vogt’s forward thinking defensive substitution that swapped out Bazzana for Genao which was clearly made with defense in mind. 

Although Bazzana has been a bit better since his rough start to the season on defense, he’s still been worth -2 Outs Above Average this season largely due to his lack of range and lateral movement. Genao, on the other hand, has been worth +2 Outs Above Average at second base. 

Genao’s largely been a man without a primary position this season, which has resulted in him moving around the infield dirt while being in and out of the lineup. 

That may result in him getting some inconsistent playing time, but it shows how highly the Guardians think of him despite the fact he’s just 22. 

We’ve gotten to a point in the season where every game is a must-win, and Vogt’s aggressive substitution of Bazzana shows that he’s managing with that mentality in mind. 

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