Clase, Vogt are finalists for AL Cy Young, Manager of the Year Awards

CLEVELAND -- The BBWAA Awards finalists are out, and Cleveland has a representative in two categories.

Unsurprisingly, skipper Stephen Vogt is a finalist for the American League Manager of the Year Award in his first season at the helm. He stands beside division rivals Matt Quatraro (Kansas City) and A.J. Hinch (Detroit). The winner will be revealed on MLB Network at 6 p.m. ET on Nov. 19.

Emmanuel Clase has pulled off the rare feat of being a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award as a relief pitcher. Like Vogt, he’ll go up against division opponents in Tarik Skubal (Detroit) and Seth Lugo (Kansas City). The winner of this award is set to be revealed on MLB Network at 6 p.m. on Nov. 20.

One of these awards seems very attainable for Cleveland; the other will be an uphill battle. However, being a finalist in either category is impressive.

Let’s start with Vogt, who might be the favorite to take home the hardware. Not only did he have just 397 days between finishing his playing career and being named a manager of a Major League team, he took his rookie season by storm. Vogt leaned heavily on veteran coaches around him and wasn’t afraid to say he didn’t know how to do something. His vulnerability and exceptional ability to connect with everyone in the room helped him settle in faster than anyone imagined.

Vogt wasn’t just trying to get his feet wet this year in a season when the Guardians were trying to bounce back from a frustrating and disappointing 2023. The goal was to prove that he could get the most out of this group to once again shock the baseball world by making a postseason run.

Mission accomplished.

The Guardians finished 92-69 in the regular season, having to skip Game 162 due to bad weather before the postseason began. They did this after losing their ace, Shane Bieber, in the first week of the season, after two of their other starters had to be sent to Triple-A, after Steven Kwan spent two stints on the injured list and after losing three of their main bullpen arms to injuries.

A major key to this success was having Clase at the back end of the 'pen.

Now, let’s not allow the postseason to leave a sour taste in our mouths from Clase’s 2024 season. He might have run out of gas, leading to him blowing three critical games between the AL Division Series and the AL Championship Series, but Cy Young votes are placed before October games are underway and based on regular-season performances. No AL reliever was better than Clase.

He had a career-best 47 saves during a season in which he set Cleveland’s franchise record for most saves. He allowed just five earned runs in 74 1/3 innings, giving him a sparkling 0.61 ERA. The righty struck out 66 batters and walked just 10 in his third consecutive All-Star season.

The last AL reliever to win the Cy Young Award was A's closer Dennis Eckersley in 1992, when the Hall of Famer also was named the AL MVP. Overall, just nine relievers have won a Cy Young Award, the last being Dodgers closer Eric Gagne in 2003.

Clase’s teammates joked all season that they could stop watching the game in the ninth inning because they knew how it would end. They’d sit back, yawn and watch him effortlessly hit triple digits on the radar gun while keeping every opponent off the scoreboard. At the end of the regular season, Cleveland boasted an 82-0 record when leading after the eighth inning.

It’s difficult to be more perfect than Clase was this season, but it’s still a challenge for relievers to prove that they have more value than starters when it comes to this award simply because of workload differences. Clase proving he can be in the top three is a feat. Getting past someone like Skubal, who is favored win, will be daunting.

But if there’s anything Clase has made clear in his time as baseball’s most dominant closer the past few seasons, it’s that he loves a challenge.