Brendan Gulick gives his reaction to Stephen Vogt's introductory press conference with the Cleveland Guardians.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Well, hi everybody and welcome to Progressive Field.
00:10 Brendan Gulick with you on Cleveland Baseball Insider.
00:13 And we just wrapped up a really fun afternoon
00:15 here in Cleveland.
00:16 It is bright behind me and you might even be able to hear
00:18 some of the construction noise because this ballpark
00:21 is certainly undergoing some renovations
00:23 out on the playing field.
00:24 As it turns out, the team is undergoing renovations too
00:27 because the new manager has been named.
00:29 Steven Vogt officially announced today,
00:32 frankly just behind the camera here
00:33 in the Discount Drug Mart Club,
00:36 a chance to meet the media and introduce himself
00:39 to the fans for the very first time.
00:41 And I know Cleveland is really excited to have Steven Vogt.
00:44 Just a little reaction to what we heard today.
00:46 He had a press conference that also included
00:49 Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff up at the dais with him.
00:53 And the Guardians said, look, their process was threefold.
00:57 They wanted to find a collaborative partner,
01:00 a caring connector, and a self-confident leader.
01:04 And they were blown away by what Steven Vogt produced in,
01:09 they said, frankly, 25 hours worth of interviews,
01:13 whether it was in person or on the phone or on Zoom.
01:17 They really got to know and like and appreciate
01:20 the now 39-year-old who is the second youngest manager
01:24 in Major League Baseball.
01:26 And I think Cleveland's going to really enjoy this guy.
01:29 Steven Vogt has an authenticity about him
01:31 that is really unique and fun.
01:34 And I think Guardians fans are going to enjoy that.
01:36 Made it very clear that being part of a community
01:39 is something he is really interested in.
01:43 He and his wife have spent a lot of time out in the Bay Area
01:47 working with special needs children,
01:49 in particular with young kids that have autism,
01:53 and feel like that is something that's really
01:56 near and dear to his heart.
01:58 And while, for now, they are continuing
02:01 to have their residents out in Olympia, Washington,
02:04 he certainly would not rule out the possibility of making
02:07 Cleveland a permanent home.
02:08 And I think there is an element of,
02:11 we all hope that he wants to be here permanently, right?
02:13 Because that would mean that Steven Vogt would
02:16 be a guy that the Guardians can build around
02:18 for a long time to come.
02:20 We have not had too many days like this
02:22 in Guardians or Indians franchise history
02:24 because they have generally made pretty good decisions when
02:28 deciding on what manager to bring to town.
02:31 And the fact that this is a special day
02:33 is a cool thing because it's a unique day.
02:36 These don't happen very often.
02:37 And Steven Vogt certainly--
02:39 if you're keeping score at home, I
02:41 think he won the press conference.
02:43 In terms of some things about him, he loves this team
02:48 and is really excited to work with a group
02:51 that he has respected both as a player
02:53 and for one year as a coach.
02:55 He particularly brought up Jose Ramirez, but said, look,
02:58 I don't want to go through everybody individually,
03:00 but appreciates the grit and the toughness of this team.
03:05 He has already had an opportunity to speak with,
03:07 he said, seven or eight different players.
03:09 He's already sat down with Shane Bieber, which
03:11 I know is an important thing for him and for this organization,
03:14 given Shane's importance to them.
03:17 He said he's going to lean really heavily on the fact
03:20 that there's over 150 years worth of coaching experience
03:24 around him on this roster because he brings exactly
03:27 one year of coaching experience to the table
03:30 after leaving the Seattle Mariners.
03:33 He was extremely, profoundly grateful for the time
03:37 that he has spent with both Craig Council
03:39 and with Scott Service in helping develop
03:42 who he is as a leader, as a coach.
03:46 And he is leaning into the fact that this
03:49 is a job he's ready for and one that he
03:51 knows he doesn't have to have all the answers,
03:54 but is looking forward to being the guy that
03:56 helps figure out how to make all the puzzle pieces fit together.
03:59 There is something very authentic Cleveland
04:01 about Steven Vogt that I think fans are really going to enjoy.
04:05 And I get the impression that he understands
04:07 what he's walking into with a young team that has already
04:11 had a good stretch of play here for the last several years.
04:15 A team that is, in many ways, ready to win now,
04:19 but he also acknowledged that the farm system is loaded
04:22 with a bunch of guys that this organization feels really,
04:25 really good about where they can build something that's
04:27 going to last for a long time.
04:28 So as is often the case when you have a press conference
04:32 on a day where you're naming somebody
04:34 you feel really good about, there was a great vibe
04:37 down here at Progressive Field today.
04:38 And I guess time will always tell whether or not
04:41 it was ultimately the right decision,
04:43 but I got a pretty good feeling about this.
04:46 If you're a Guardians fan watching from home,
04:48 this is certainly the kind of guy
04:50 that I think fans are going to be able to relate to
04:52 and will enjoy watching.
04:54 For all the latest news and information on the Cleveland
04:56 Guardians, we've got you covered throughout the offseason
04:58 on clevelandbaseballinsider.com.
05:00 Please subscribe to this YouTube channel
05:02 as well so we can bring you the latest.
05:03 And if you'd like to see the entire press conference
05:06 and hear all that Steven Vogt had to say,
05:08 including a Q&A with the media, you
05:10 can check that out on the channel as well.
05:12 Brendan Gulick with you from Progressive Field.
05:15 Enjoy the rest of your weekend here
05:16 on this sunny, cool November weekend,
05:19 and we'll check in with you real soon.
05:21 [BLANK_AUDIO]