The Cleveland Guardians have officially found a successor for future Hall of Famer Terry Francona. Stephen Vogt, a former All-Star catcher and Seattle Mariners coach, is their new manager, according to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com.

Vogt retired in 2022 after a 10-year MLB career but immediately returned to the clubhouse. He served as the Mariners bullpen and quality control coach this past season, supposedly building strong rapport with players and garnering interest around the league. His inexperience is not deterring a Guardians team who hopes they have the game's next star skipper.

The 39-year-old agreed to a three-year contract for an undisclosed amount of money, per ESPN's Jeff Passan, and is Cleveland's 45th manager in franchise history. Craig Counsell was also a top target, but the New York Mets' reported interest might have been too tall of a hurdle to clear. Although replacing Francona will be an extremely difficult task, both in terms of success and popularity, fans should be excited for this new era of Guardians baseball.

Vogt's ability to communicate with a pitching staff could be of enormous benefit to the team's young hurlers like Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen and Gavin Williams, all of whom were forced to quickly come of age in an injury-riddled 2023 campaign. A strong leader who is well-versed in small-market techniques and mindsets sounds like a natural fit for this cost-efficient organization.

Ideally, the same skills and intangibles that helped Stephen Vogt earn two trips to the Midsummer Classic (both with the Oakland Athletics) will soon shine through in his new gig at Progressive Field. The Guardians' future can still be as bright as it appeared to be following a successful 2022 season.