Guardians’ Manager Vogt Shakes Up Coaching Staff After AL Central Win!

Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogtis making notable adjustments to his coaching staff as he prepares for his second season at the helm, following a successful 2024 campaign that saw the team secure the AL Centraltitle with 92 regular-season wins. Vogt, a finalist for the AL Manager of the Year award, announced key staff changes on Wednesday, solidifying a leadership team that helped guide the Guardiansto success. The most significant moves include the promotion of Craig Albernaz and the return of Carl Willisfor the 2025 season.

Albernaz Promoted to Associate Manager

Craig Albernaz, who served as the Guardians’ bench coach in 2024, has been promoted to associate manager. Vogt relied heavily on Albernazthroughout his first season as a manager, especially as the team navigated in-game decisions and day-to-day operations. Albernaz’s leadership and expertisemade him a highly sought-after candidate this offseason, with the Miami Marlins and Chicago White Soxshowing interest in his services as a potential manager. However, Albernaz chose to stay with Cleveland, underscoring his commitment to Vogtand the Guardians.

Vogtexpressed his excitement about Albernaz’s decision to return. “So excited he’s coming back,” Vogt said during a Zoom conference. “Obviously for him to get the two opportunities and for him to choose to come back to us speaks volumes about who Alby is. His responsibilities won’t change; it’s just a recognition that he’s more than a bench coach—he’s invaluable to us.”

Willis Returns for 15th Season

Carl Willis, the Guardians’ pitching coach, will return for his 15thseason with the team. Willisplayed a pivotal role in helping the Guardians overcomesignificant pitching challengesin 2024. The loss of ace Shane Bieber after just two starts and injuries to key bullpen arms Trevor Stephanand James Karinchak left the team needing to fill critical roles. Willis’s leadership was instrumentalin navigating these setbacks, and his return is a major boost for the pitching staff.

Vogtexpressed deep gratitudefor Willis’s return, emphasizing his invaluable experienceand influenceon the team. “I couldn’t be more thankful that Carl’s coming back. What he means to this organization, what he means to me, to our pitchers, and to the rest of our staff—it’s immeasurable,” Vogt said. “We lean on him a lot. He has the most experience on our staff, and for Carl to want to come back, we couldn’t be more thrilled.”

Grant Fink Promoted to Hitting Coach

In addition to Albernazand Willis, the Guardians also made a change to their hitting coach position. Grant Fink, who has served as the club’s minor league hitting coordinator for the past three seasons, will take over as the team’s hitting coach. Fink’s familiarity with many of the Guardians’ players and his strong leadership skillsmade him a natural choice to replace Chris Valaika, who joined Terry Francona’s staff with the Cincinnati Reds.

Vogt expressed confidence in Fink’s abilityto guide the team’s hitters: “As we looked at the landscape of hitting across the game, we kept going back to Grant and what he brings to the table—from leadership to familiarity with a lot of our players and the other coaches on our staff.”

Sandy Alomar Jr. and Kai Correa to Return

The Guardiansalso announced that longtime first-base coach Sandy Alomar Jr.will return for his 16thseason in 2025. Alomar’sexperience and leadership continue to be invaluable assets to the team.

Additionally, Kai Correahas been promoted to major league field coordinator, a role that will involve overseeing defense, baserunning, and game strategy. Correa’s expanded responsibilities reflect his growing influence within the Guardians’ coaching structure.

With these key staff changes, the Cleveland Guardians are poised for continued success in 2025, with Vogtleading a strong coaching staff committed to building on last season’s achievements.