Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt greets his players before Game 1 of the American League Baseball Championship Series against the New York Yankees, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo Vazquez)
Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy and Cleveland’s Stephen Vogt were named managers of their respective teams during the offseason and had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of their successful and well-liked predecessors.
Both were proven to be natural.
Murphy was named National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday after a stellar debut season with the Brewers, while Voigt led the Guardians to 92 wins and a district title in his first year as skipper at any level. and earned American League honors.
Vogt, 40, is the first major league player to win manager of the year honors in just two years. The previous fastest record was Joe Girardi, who won National League Manager of the Year with the Florida Marlins from 2003 to 2006.
“When one of my players hit a home run, I was more excited than when I hit a home run or made a big play or struck out.” Vogt said. “I think that’s the beauty of this role and this job. It’s not about you. It’s about the players and their success.”
Murphy, 65, led the Brewers to a 93-69 record and the National League Central Division title, becoming the first manager in franchise history to win the award since it was introduced in 1983. In the playoffs, Milwaukee narrowly lost to the New York Mets. wild card series.
Murphy had an unusual career path to success in the big leagues. He was a longtime college coach at Notre Dame and Arizona State before moving to the professional ranks in 2010. He worked in the Padres’ minor league system until 2015, when he was hired by Milwaukee. He was a bench coach under Craig Counsell, who played for Murphy at Notre Dame.
After Counsell surprisingly left for the Cubs during the offseason, the Brewers quickly turned to Murphy. The transition was almost seamless.
“I just didn’t want to let the Brewers down.” Murphy said. “From the owners to the front office to the players and coaching staff. I didn’t want to let them down. I wanted to be ready. I wanted to do something to move forward a little bit.”
Murphy received 27 of the 30 first-place votes in the Baseball Writers Association of America’s poll, ahead of San Diego’s Mike Shildt and New York’s Carlos Mendoza. Mr. Shildt, Mr. Mendoza and Rob Thomson of Philadelphia each received first-place votes.
Vogt, 40, outperformed AL Central rivals Matt Quatraro of Kansas City and AJ Hinch of Detroit. He is the first American League manager to win the award in his debut season since Minnesota coach Rocco Baldelli in 2019.
Vogt received 27 of the 30 first-place votes. Quatraro had two points and Hinch had one.
Vogt replaced three-time Manager of the Year Terry Francona in his first year in charge, leading the Guardians to a 92-69 record and a playoff berth. The former major league catcher led Cleveland to the American League Championship Series, where they lost to the New York Yankees in five games.
“I knew I had to come here and be myself.” Vogt said. “I knew I could never replace Tito or take his place. I just came in, was myself, and helped the players perform as well as they could. I just wanted to help and that was my goal from day one.”
Voigt becomes the third Cleveland captain to earn this honor, joining Francona (2013, 2016, 2022) and Eric Wedge (2007).
In his first year leading the Mets, Mendoza led the team to an 89-win season and a berth in the National League Championship Series, but lost in six games to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Shildt led the Padres to the playoffs and won 93 games in his first season in San Diego. In 2019, he won the National League Manager of the Year Award with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Quatraro, 51, is in his second year with the organization and led the Royals to the postseason, one year after a 106-loss season. Kansas City finished 86-76 and defeated Baltimore in the wild card series.
Kansas City, led by catcher Salvador Perez and young star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., lost to the Yankees in the division series.
Hinch, 50, is in his fourth year leading the Tigers, who reached the playoffs with a competitive second half despite losing quality players like right-hander Jack Flaherty at the July 30 trade deadline. .
