Stephen Vogt

Lore & Background

Stephen Vogt was born on November 1, 1984, in Visalia, California. He was one of two boys born to Randy and Toni Vogt, along with his older brother Danny. Randy Vogt was an accountant, and Toni Vogt was the owner and president of the PRISM Weight Loss Program. Stephen Vogt was born into a baseball family: his father had been a pitcher at Fresno State, and two of his uncles played at University of California, Davis, including Mike Vogt, a member of the UC Davis Aggies All-Time Century Team. Stephen began playing tee-ball at age four, and Randy coached both Stephen and Danny through Little League and Babe Ruth League. Vogt first became a catcher at age nine. Vogt attended Central Valley Christian Schools (CVC), where his father Randy was the coach of the school's baseball team. Vogt played college baseball at Azusa Pacific University, where he was a two-time All-American selection and set multiple school records.

Reader's Guide

Vogt spent six years in minor leagues in Tampa Bay and was named the franchise's Minor League Player of the Year in 2011, before debuting with the Rays in 2012 at age 27. He started his major league career with a streak of 32 consecutive at-bats without a hit, which set a Tampa Bay record and lasted into his debut with Oakland in 2013. That year, he started all three games of the 2013 American League Division Series, and hit a game-winning single in Game 2. Vogt led American League catchers in most offensive categories for the first half of his 2015 season, and his .277 batting average in 2016 was ranked in the top five among catchers heading into the All-Star break that year. Vogt left Oakland in 2017 with a batting average of .255 with 49 home runs and 198 runs batted in over 458 games. Vogt joined the Brewers in 2017, playing one injury-shortened season with the team and finishing with a .254 batting average, his highest since 2015. After missing more than a year due to a 2018 shoulder injury, he joined the Giants, his childhood favorite team. He finished 2019 in San Francisco with some of the best offensive numbers of his career, including a .263 batting average, his highest since 2014. Vogt signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks in November 2019.

Did You Know?

• Vogt's A's tenure was 2013–2017, not 2011–2017.
• The 2012 Oakland Athletics did not reach the World Series; they lost to the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS.
• Vogt was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017, not to the San Francisco Giants.
• Vogt was primarily valued for his bat and was a below-average defensive catcher, not a defensive specialist.