Rosenhaus: Manager change has everyone's attention

NORWALK — For at least a couple hours, Jim Rosenhaus got to rip the band-aid off. Helping serve as an emcee at the Guards Fest on Jan. 20 in Cleveland, the radio broadcaster entering his 18th year with the team got first-hand experience with new Guardians manager Stephen Vogt. But as one half of the announce team along with Tom Hamilton, Rosenhaus still knows the moment is coming in a short few weeks in Goodyear, Ariz. "Just little bit, there is a part of me that says I'm going to go to spring training, poke my head in the office and there will be Tito," Rosenhaus said. Terry "Tito" Francona retired at the end of the 2023 season. He is the all-time wins leader in franchise history, and guided the team to nine winning seasons in 11 years, including an American League pennant in 2016 and six total postseason appearances. He was replaced by Vogt, who at age 39, was playing against Francona and the Guardians just two seasons ago before his retirement as a player. Speaking to the Norwalk Rotary Club on Monday at the Elks Lodge, Rosenhaus said the manager change certainly is going to be an adjustment — and fascinating to watch. Both Rosenhaus and Hamilton recorded pregame sound bites with Francona before every single game. "So I think until I see Stephen in that setting, it really won't hit home," Rosenhaus said. :And certainly that first spring training game when he brings out the lineup card (on Feb. 24 vs. Cincinnati) — that's when it will really hit me. "I'm going to miss Tito terribly, but from an interesting standpoint — it will be different," he added. "So that will be interesting to me, and I hope it's in a good way, but we have no idea yet." After shocking all of Major League Baseball in 2022 with a 92-win season that saw the team win the AL Central Division and the Wild Card series over Tampa Bay, the Guardians took a step back in 2023. During the fantasy run in 2022, the youngest team in baseball — which had 17 players make their MLB debuts — didn't know any better down the stretch. Still the youngest team in the majors last season, several key players struggled offensively. When the Guardians didn't struggle at the plate, the bullpen didn't hold leads. The Guardians played a staggering 58 one-run games — but went just 27-31 in those games. That came on the heels of an impressive 28-17 record in one-run games in 2022. However, even after the 76-86 finish, there is reason for optimism. The lineup still features the likes of Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan, Andres Gimenez and Josh Naylor. Bo Naylor will get his first full season as the team's catcher. Though questions about health and contracts persist for both players, starting pitchers Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie are poised to solidify a rotation that will include last year's rookie standouts: Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen. In a potential feel-good story, fan favorite Carlos Carrasco is back in the fold on a minor league deal and will look to serve as starting rotation depth for Cleveland. The bullpen is again anchored by star closer Emmanuel Clase, who led the MLB in saves — and blown saves — in 2023. After finishing third behind Minnesota and Detroit last season — which helped them land the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft lottery despite a 2.9 percent chance to do so — the Guardians are again under the radar. "Not too many people are talking about Cleveland right now in our division," Rosenhaus said. "And in talking to some of our players at Guards Fest, they are aware of that. "You get the sense there is a little bit of a chip on their shoulders, somewhat similar to what we had in 2022 with a super young team," he added. "Very few had much expectations for us that year. I will be interested to see how that goes this year." Rosenhaus has been calling baseball games for nearly 30 years between Triple-A Buffalo and Cleveland. In an ever-changing television climate that has seen the emergence of streaming and other viewing experiences other than cable, he said both himself and Hamilton are aware of the role they play for many fans. In recent years, several MLB games have been broadcast on Apple TV and Peacock, on top of nationally-televised games on FOX and FS1. There is also the tenuous situation between Bally's Great Lakes and the team when it comes to broadcasting games. With all that being said, fans know the longtime announce team can always be found on the radio airwaves. "When those games were on Apple or YouTube TV and whatnot, people would complain," Rosenhaus said. "But we always felt like … believe me, we were aware it was the only way to keep up on the games unless you had those services. "So I feel that way, but to some extent you always felt that way." Rosenhaus explained further, noting that in some capacity, there have always been a handful of games not on local TV in every past season. "When it's a national game on a Saturday on FOX or FS1, it's a different crew, and people missed our guys on television, and they turned to us," he said. "And certainly in the postseason, we were always doing the playoffs from our local perspective, so you always felt that way from that standpoint. "But it does seem like it's heading further and further down that road, and we're very aware of that."