When Will Stephen Vogt Make Tough Decisions With Guardians Roster?

Originally posted on FanNation Cleveland Baseball Insider
By Tommy Wild | Last updated 2/23/24

There are countless positions that should be up for grabs on the Cleveland Guardians roster. At some points, rookie manager Stephen Vogt is going to have to make some decisions with the team and decide who's going to be starting on Opening Day or just be on the big league roster.

When can fans expect some of the decisions to start happening?

Vogt is in no rush. He's excited to give every player a fair opportunity to see exactly what this team has to offer. This is what he had to say about making all of those roster choices.

"The fact is, until the last week, people are only playing five innings. You know, so we're going to get a good look at everybody throughout most of camp," said Vogt.

"I don't know is the best answer. I don't if there's a deadline, or a day, or a when we start doing that. But for me, it's I want to see how all 80 guys play. I want to see all of them get an opportunity and how they take the mound. Yeah, some are going to get more time than others, that's the nature of the beast. But for me, it's I've watched all of them work, watched all of them go about their business and that tells me a lot about who they are and now we need to go see them play."

The shortstop battle between Brayan Rocchio, Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, Jose Tena, and even Angel Martinez is one of the high-profile competitions during camp. How the outfield will shake out between Myles Straw, Will Brennan, Ramon Laureano, and the rest of the power-hitting prospects is another intriguing contest to keep an eye on.

Even Vogt won't set a date, but at some point, fans are going to be able to tell who's be considered over another for a spot based on playing time. Cleveland's manager admitted that this is typically the case too.

"I do think there's a time in camp where, of course, the roster starts to take shape, but to put a deadline on that I don't think there's a particular day."

This article first appeared on FanNation Cleveland Baseball Insider and was syndicated with permission.

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