Steven Kwan gets real about Guardians manager Stephen Vogt; opens up on relationship with Terry Francona

The Cleveland Guardians made an unheralded run to the American League Championship Series last year, with outfielder Steven Kwan being one of the most productive players on the team. Meanwhile, Stephen Vogt enjoyed an excellent campaign in his first season as the Guardians manager after Terry Francona stepped down from the role at the end of the 2023 season.

Steven Kwan earned his first All-Star Game call-up in 2024 and went on to collect his third straight Gold Glove at the end of the season. Kwan also impressed in the postseason, although the Cleveland Guardians came up short to the New York Yankees in the ALCS.

On Tuesday, Steven Kwan was a guest on the Kasa de Klub podcast hosted by former Cleveland ace Corey Kluber. He discussed the managerial style of Steven Vogt with the two-time Cy Young winner during the show.

"He just had incredible feel," Kwan said. "He wasn't the kind of guy that goes, "I'm the new manager. This is how things are going to be, and you guys are going to listen." It's like, "Hey, guys, we got something really special here, but we have to make sure we're on the same page." Door is always open kind of guy. Hitting fungos, walking around cracking jokes.

"He played like a couple of years before, so it didn't feel tacky; it felt genuine. He was like one of the guys, as people like to say," Kwan added. "Easy to talk to. He had his expectations, but it was a tender style of coaching."

Later, Steven Kwan also talked about his time playing under former manager Terry Francona.

"I think it was super validating, especially me coming up. I had a small window to prove myself, and he was always telling me, affirming my skills, what I could do. Just keep doing what I do right, and things are going to work out. Hearing that from a Hall of Fame manager, as a rookie that was just trying to make his name in the league, that was everything for me. I owe a lot of my success to him."

Terry Francona will be back in a major league dugout this year as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

Steven Kwan on the Guardians recipe for success

Steven Kwan hit a career-high 14 home runs last season (Image Source: IMAGN)

Cleveland Guardians were not considered as one of the top dogs for the American League Central title in 2024 after a disappointing campaign the previous year. Yet, in spite of having a young roster with a rookie manager at the helm, the Guardians were ultimately just one step short of reaching the World Series.

Steven Kwan offered his take on what made the team successful last year.

"When you have really young guys who are trying to make a name for themselves, there's no ego in the clubhouse," he said. "There's no off-the-field shenanigans. You go to the field. You clock in. You get your work in. You do the little things right. You clock out. And you have fun doing it.

"When there's no drama going on, and there are no external factors going on, you just play baseball, and you play freely," he added.

The Guardians won the AL Central title with a 92-69 record, but they may face a tougher challenge from their division rivals this year.