The Los Angeles Angels are struggling in their first season without Shohei Ohtani. They have seen Mike Trout go down with a torn meniscus and they have fallen to last place in the American League West. As the Angels host the American League Central-leading Cleveland Guardians, veteran Angels manager Ron Washington had advice for Cleveland’s first-year manager Stephen Vogt.
Vogt played six years for the Oakland A’s during his 11-year Major League career, and he was associated with Washington, who coached him for three years.
It seems Vogt is doing quite well as the Guardians improved their record to 21-12 after Saturday’s victory over the Angels. Nevertheless, Washington was happy to help Vogt feel even more comfortable in his role as a manager. His advice concerned how Vogt should treat his players, but not when it comes to game strategy.
“You have to love your players and make them understand what your vision is,” Washington said. “Work for that vision and do the work so that they understand what that vision is. As long as they know that you care about them, they are going to do whatever you want them to do and however you want them to do it.”
Vogt has Guardians playing at high level
Vogt has inherited the Cleveland managing job following the retirement of long-time Guardians manager Terry Francona. He was known for being able to get the most out of his team, and he regularly created the kind of friendly and warm environment that Washington was talking about throughout his career as a manager.
In addition to his 11 years with Cleveland, Francona managed 8 years with the Boston Red Sox and 4 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. He won two World Series titles during his run with the Red Sox.
So, while Vogt has the Guardians playing excellent baseball to this point, it’s clear that he will have a lot to learn as the season progresses. The Guardians have not had any adversity to deal with at this point, but no team goes through a year without issues and this team is bound to have injuries or slumps that Vogt will have to contend with.
On the other hand, the Angels have dropped 7 of their last 10 games and have fallen below both the Oakland A’s and the Houston Astros in the AL West. The Angels have had particular problems playing at home, as they have won just 4 of their first 15 games in Anaheim.
Washington and Angles have offensive shortcomings
In their 7-1 loss to the Guardians Saturday, the Angels managed just four hits and one extra base hit. Offense is likely to be a problem for Ron Washington and his team as long as Trout remains out of the lineup. He is expected to be back for the Angels this season, but he has had surgery on the meniscus in his left knee.
After the Guardians conclude their series with the Angels Sunday, Stephen Vogt and his team will host the division rival Detroit Tigers before going to Chicago to take on the struggling White Sox.
More must-reads: