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CLEVELAND — As Stephen Vogt embarks on his third consecutive postseason as manager of the Cleveland Guardians, one of his most repeated mantras remains that he doesn't know what he doesn't know. However, in Year 3, he has come to understand that a manager who overmanages can be a net negative. Timing, and often restraint, is crucial.
The Guardians won 85 games, capturing their third straight AL Central division title and the No. 2 seed in Vogt's third full season at the helm. In his previous two seasons, he earned AL Manager of the Year honors, and he has a chance to be a finalist again in 2026.
Now in his third postseason, Vogt feels a higher level of comfort compared to two years ago when the Guardians surprised the league in 2024 by surging to the division title amid modest expectations and reaching the ALCS. Last year, Vogt's squad overcame a historic 15.5-game deficit to win the division.
"I definitely feel more prepared each year," Vogt said before the ALDS against the White Sox, which Chicago led 1-0 after a Game 1 shutout. "I think I don't know what I don't know, still."
Vogt welcomes the unknowns. "I think it's just continuing to learn," he said. "You think back to some of the great managers that have 20-something years of experience, so I don't have that. I've watched a lot of baseball and been through a lot of baseball, but I'm continuing to learn every day. I think for me it's, OK, what's happened in the years prior [in the playoffs]? Where did we go right? Where did we go wrong? What can we do to get out ahead of it this time?"
Vogt also believes there's a real balance to how much certain things can be forced. It's why they're called managers. They're there to manage situations and call the shots, but there's a poetry to not overstepping or trying to control too much, either. It has become one of his primary philosophies.
"What I've learned is you can outthink yourself," Vogt said. "You can overthink. You can try to insert yourself into the game too much. A lot of times, you just got to let the players play. That's what I've learned the most is maybe when I had a gut instinct on something and I would just fire away, maybe it wasn't the right move. Maybe I shouldn't have done that. Maybe I should have given that person an opportunity to do something different. And so I've found that the less I can insert myself into a game, the better we are, and I want to do that as little as possible."
Three trips to the postseason in three seasons with a first-time manager and one of the league's bottom-five payrolls presents a strong resume, even if Cleveland hasn't quite found the October success for which they're looking. Vogt wants to avoid overinserting himself into games too much. But without him in the manager's office, they know there's a chance they're sitting on the couch watching the playoffs from afar in at least one of the last three seasons.
Ryan Lewis covers the Guardians for the Beacon Journal. He can be reached at [email protected]. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Stephen Vogt shares managerial philosophy in 3rd season with Guardians.
Originally reported by yahoo.