Stephen Vogt made the ultimate gesture at ex-Guardians coach's managerial intro

For two seasons, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt and associate manager Craig Albernaz were inseparable in the Guardians dugout. While Vogt was the head man at the top step of the Guardians dugout, Albernaz was always right next to him.

On Tuesday, that dynamic played out again — just in a different way. After being hired as the Baltimore Orioles’ manager last week, Baltimore held its introductory press conference for Albernaz, where Vogt was in the front row supporting his good friend. 

Vogt and Albernaz relationship goes far beyond the diamond. They started out as teammates in the Tampa Bay Rays system and quickly developed a strong friendship. They both interviewed for the Guardians’ open managerial position, and Albernaz impressed Cleveland’s brass so much that they gave him a spot on the staff after hiring Vogt as manager.

He returned to Cleveland in 2025 after receiving some overtures from the Marlins and White Sox about their managerial openings, but Baltimore’s opening proved to be too much for him to pass up. 

After the press conference, Vogt called Albernaz “the hardest worker he’s ever been around.”

Now he’s going to be tasked with turning around an Orioles team that finished last season 75-87 after entering the season with postseason hopes. 

Stephen Vogt’s pulls off classy gesture by being at Craig Albernaz's introductory press conference

“You meet a lot of impressive people, but sitting down with Craig and hearing the feedback we got from the many other people that interviewed him, it’s clear that this was a really good fit all around,” Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said, per MLB.com’s Jake Rill. “The places he’s worked, the kind of philosophies that he’s developed -- his personality and his personal style will be a really good fit for what our group needs, but also in this town and in this market. Just an all-around fit, and I was really struck by him once we got done spending the first day with him.”

The good news for Albernaz is that the Orioles have a ton of talent in Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg and others. Nearly all of them took a step back last year (which explains the dismal record), but they also helped the Orioles make the postseason in 2023 and ‘24. 

“The talent just jumps right out at you. Even playing them this year, like yeah, it was a down year, a lot of injuries, but the talent up and down the roster is impressive,” Albernaz said at his press conference, per Rill. “They can perform better in their eyes. It’s great to see the work that they’ll put in in the offseason, and we’ll come out and next year really take on that challenge.”

It also helps that he’s spent the past two years watching Vogt pull off a masterclass with the Guardians. In 2024, The Guardians cruised to an American League Central crown in a season where Vogt won American League Manager of the Year in his first season at the helm. 

Vogt’s a finalist for the award again this year after the Guardians fought through suspensions and injuries to claw back from a 15 1/2 game deficit and win the American League Central. 

The Guardians will be a contender every season they have Vogt and José Ramírez in the fold, but the loss of Albernaz is going to hurt.

We’ll get our first chance to see the two friends manage against each other at the end of April when Albernaz and the Orioles head to Cleveland for a three-game series.