Fan favorite Stephen Vogt will retire after 10 major league seasons. The 37-year-old catcher has a career slash line of .239/.302/.406 with 81 home runs with a 3.4 fWAR over 785 games. It’s truly a full circle as he is currently a member of the Oakland Athletics, where he played for half of his career. He’s known for being an excellent clubhouse presence who is great at working with younger players.
After 10 amazing years, Stephen Vogt announced he will retire at the end of the 2022 season.
Congratulations on a wonderful career, Stephen! You will always be a member of the Green and Gold family 💚💛
Fans, join us at the Coliseum on Oct. 5 to celebrate Vogt!#DrumTogether pic.twitter.com/VCBuJhvAtk
— Oakland A’s (@Athletics) September 22, 2022
The Visalia native was a 12th-round draft pick from Azusa Pacific University in 2007. He started his MLB career with a patient road to the majors. Yet, Vogt didn’t make his debut at 27, not to mention a dismal 25 at-bats, going 0-for-32 with the Rays. Vogt broke the cold streak with his first major league home run on June 28, 2013. The line-drive homer came off of St. Louis Cardinals reliever Joe Kelly. Altogether that ended the longest hitless streak to begin a career by a non-pitcher.
After that, Vogt transitioned into a two-time All-Star who earned his own chant of “I believe in Stephen Vogt!” from fans who appreciated his efforts and struggles. Vogt led AL catchers in most offensive categories for half of his 2015 season. In addition, his .277 batting average in 2016 was in the top five among catchers going into the All-Star break.
Vogt played for Tampa Bay, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Arizona and Atlanta. Despite missing the 2018 season after shoulder surgery, he returned with the Giants in 2019. Then, he was traded from the Diamondbacks to the Braves at midseason last year, winning a World Series with the Braves despite missing the playoffs due to injury.
One uncommon commodity about Vogt is his ability to hit left-handed. Firstly, few catchers in the majors can hit from the left side of the plate. Additionally, Yogi Berra was one of the most well-known southpaw hitters as he led all left-hitting backstops in home runs.
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