Guardians' Stephen Vogt wins back-to-back Manager of the Year award to create historic sweep

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy became the third manager in MLB history to win the Manager of the Year award in consecutive seasons. He did not need to wait long for Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt to join him in that exclusive group.

Vogt was named the American League Manager of the Year on Tuesday. He and Murphy became the first pair to win consecutive awards in the same season and the first duo to take home the award in their first two seasons as manager.

With his win in 2024, Vogt became the third manager in Guardians history to take home the award. He joined Eric Wedge (2007) and future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona (2013, 2016, 2022) in that group.

Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt wins Manager of the Year award in improbable manner

Vogt was not expected to be a candidate for the award heading into the season as he guided the Guardians to a 92-69 record in 2024, winning the AL Central and advanced to the ALCS. However, the Guardians struggled throughout the season and were sellers at the trade deadline despite a 54-54 record.

The Guardians had been as far as 15 games behind the Tigers on July 6 and were 11 games back on Sept. 4. Cleveland went on a historic surge over the final few weeks, surpassing the free-falling Tigers for the AL Central title. In doing so, the Guardians set the record for overcoming the largest deficit to win the division since 1969.

Vogt had more than the Guardians' on-field struggles to contend with. Pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase were placed on administrative leave in the wake of a gambling investigation, costing Cleveland a solid arm in the middle of the rotation and their closer. The Guardians rallied despite those distractions, capping off an improbable run to the postseason.