Stephen Vogt is Giving Everyone a Reason to Believe
The Oakland Athletics are in the middle of an absolutely awful stretch. They have an MLB-worst 14-30 record, and Murphy’s Law is in full effect. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
But in all the dark clouds that have shadowed the team, Stephen Vogt has been a bright ray of sunshine. The man called “Everything Bagel” is working his way towards becoming a star for the A’s.
The ascension upwards began in 2014 for Vogt, and in just over half a season, he gave the fans reason to believe. He showed his versatility, hence the nickname “Everything Bagel“. He played 47 games at first base, 18 games in the outfield, and 15 as the catcher.
Always a catcher by trade, Vogt’s ability to play behind the plate was limited by a foot injury, but made up for it by playing a very solid first base on most nights. He committed just two errors in 364 total chances at a fairly new position. He had never before played the position in the big leagues, and had just 68 games of experience in the minor leagues.
His bat was pretty potent as well last year. He hit .279 with 10 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 35 RBI. He became a key part of the lineup, to the point that manager Bob Melvin found ways to get his bat out there, like putting him at first base or right field.
More from Oakland Athletics
- Oakland Athletics win Game 2 of Wild Card round with late-inning drama
- Oakland Athletics end perfect game, still lose Game 1 of Wild Card round
- Oakland Athletics: Jesus Luzardo will start Game 1 of Wild Card round
- Oakland Athletics clinch first AL West title since 2013
- Oakland Athletics: Can Jamb Lamb save the restructured infield?
2015 has been even better. When Derek Norris was traded to the San Diego Padres in the offseason, Vogt was thrust into the starting catcher’s role, and he has flourished tremendously.
In about a quarter of a full season, Vogt has taken 123 at-bats, and is hitting .309 with 10 home runs (already a career high) and 31 RBI. He’s also shown a plate discipline that he’s never showed before, working 21 walks (also, already a career high) while striking out just 24 times, a very good ratio.
Among catchers in baseball, Vogt is second in average, just .002 points behind the San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey‘s .311. Vogt is first in home runs, RBI, on-base percentage (.408), and slugging percentage (.610). Very quickly, Vogt is becoming one of the best catchers in baseball.
His defense hasn’t been great, but it has been pretty solid. He’s allowed just three passed balls this year, and is catching potential base-stealers at a 30 percent clip. Those numbers aren’t eye-popping, but it is good enough to get the job done.
The team hasn’t had many players performing like All-Stars so far this year, but another guy who might be able to join Vogt in Cincinnati could be the team’s ace, Sonny Gray. Vogt has caught seven of Gray’s nine starts this year, and was the catcher for all four of Gray’s wins. In 46.1 innings with Vogt behind the plate, Gray’s ERA is 2.12.
Vogt has a certain old school look to him. He’s a big, strong guy, the prototypical look of a power hitter, and doesn’t wear batting gloves. He grips the bat with hands full of pine tar, a face full of stubble, swinging like an ax man chopping down a tree.
The Athletics aren’t giving the fans much of a reason to believe in them this season. But in the beginning, Vogt didn’t give much reason to believe either. He didn’t make his big league debut until he was 27 years old, with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012, after spending six seasons in the minor leagues. That year, he went 0-25 as a major leaguer. Those days are long gone.
Since being picked up by the A’s, Vogt has become a fan favorite, and his numbers have taken a huge upward swing. He’s now a huge offensive threat, and one of the funniest guys in the game.
The chants around O.co Coliseum are easily noticeable when Vogt takes his hacks. Taking a page from an ESPN commercial for the World Cup, the fans chant “I believe in Stephen Vogt! I believe in Stephen Vogt!”
If you didn’t believe in Vogt before this year, you’d best be a believer now.