Pop quiz! How well does Vogt know Vogt?
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GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Most pop quizzes end when you’re finished with school, but when you’re in the manager’s hot seat, you need to be ready for anything.
Stephen Vogt has had to quickly become an A-plus student in Guardians knowledge. We needed to find something else to challenge him.
So, how well does Stephen Vogt know Stephen Vogt?
Q: Let’s start with an easy one. Who was your first at-bat against and what was the result?
Vogt: David Robertson. Struck out on four pitches.
Fact checker: That’s correct.
Q: Who hit when you were in the on-deck circle waiting for your first at-bat?
Vogt: Carlos Peña.
Fact checker: Yes.
Q: Who did you pinch-hit for in that first at-bat?
Vogt: Sean Rodriguez.
Fact checker: Goodbye 1.000 average. Vogt pinch-hit for Elliot Johnson, not Rodriguez.
Vogt’s competitive side starts to show as he grits his teeth and subtly hits the table in front of him, angry he didn’t get it right.
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Q: Do you know how many games you played before you caught?
Vogt: Give me a second here. I had a ton of pinch-hits. (Pauses for 15 seconds to count through his games in his head.) I’d say my seventh game?
Fact checker: Close, eighth.
There’s nothing subtle about the competitiveness now. Vogt lunges forward in his chair while saying, “Dang it!” with a frustrated smile on his face.
Q: Do you know who that game was against?
Vogt: Braves
Fact checker: Correct. We’re back on track.
Q: Who was the first pitcher you caught?
Vogt: David Price.
Fact checker: Incorrect. The first pitcher he caught was Cesar Ramos.
Vogt was ready to challenge this answer.
Vogt: “Jose Molina got foul-tipped, I came in and I caught one inning of David Price and then Cesar Ramos was the first [reliever]. I finished David Price’s inning and then Cesar Ramos. Pretty sure.”
Fact checker: For the sake of the quiz, we allowed that to be a mystery and continued. But Vogt was shown the proof after the fun that it was Ramos he caught first. Price was his next game.
Q: Who was the starting pitcher in your first time starting behind the plate?
Vogt: Toronto Blue Jays. Jeremy Hellickson. Six innings. Shutout.
Fact checker: That is 99.99% correct. Hellickson went 5 2/3 innings. But we aren’t nitpickers here.
Q: How many at-bats did you have before your first hit (homer)?
Vogt: 32. 35 plate appearances. 32 at-bats.
Fact checker: Correct.
Q: Who was the homer off of and what was the count?
Vogt: Joe Kelly, 0-2.
Fact checker: Nailed it.
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Q: Do you know how many home runs you had in your career?
Vogt: 82
Fact checker: Right again.
Q: How many career RBIs?
Vogt: I think it was like -- oh man, I’m fogging. 200-something. 300-something.
Fact checker: 313.
Q: You know you had five stolen bases, but do you know how many times you were caught stealing?
Vogt: Two?
Fact checker: Nope, five.
Vogt: So five and five, 50% success rate. That’s pretty good. I’m a speed demon.
Q: Do you know your career OPS?
Vogt: .707
Fact checker: Correct.
Q: How many career games?
Vogt: Did I get over 600? Yeah … 620-something?
Fact checker: 794.
Vogt: Wow, not giving myself enough credit.
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Q: What team did you play against the most?
Vogt: Man … I’ll say the Angels?
Fact checker: Correct.
Q: Which team did you have the best average and OPS against?
Vogt: This isn’t small sample size, big sample size, I’m going to say the Kansas City Royals.
Fact checker. Nope. D-backs (.333 average/.990 OPS in 19 games).
Q: Which pitcher did you face the most?
Vogt: It’s either Félix [Hernández] or [Jered] Weaver. I’m gonna go Félix.
Fact checker: Nope, Weaver.
Vogt yells, “Dang it!” again.
Q: Of pitchers you saw at least 15 times, who did you have the best average and OPS against?
Vogt: I don’t know if I got to 15 plate appearances, but Jeremy Guthrie.
Fact checker: Nope.
Vogt: Félix?
Fact checker: He was second. Lance McCullers Jr. was No. 1 (.467 average, 1.329 OPS).
Q: What ballpark did you have the highest average and OPS in?
Vogt: Kansas City.
Fact checker: Correct.
Q: We’ll end with an easy one: Aside from Oakland, which ballpark did you play in the most?
Vogt: I mean, it has to be San Francisco.
Fact checker: That is correct.
Q: Did you look at your numbers or Baseball-Reference as a player?
Vogt, laughing: “You know what your numbers are. ‘Oh, I don’t look.’ Bull crap. You know exactly where you’re at.”