Stephen Vogt experienced some incredible moments at Oakland Coliseum over the course of his 5 1/2 seasons with the Athletics, from homering in the last at-bat of his MLB career to recording his first-ever hit in 2013 -- also a home run, to the same exact part of the yard.
So it's no surprise that when Vogt heard the A's had entered into a binding agreement with the city of Las Vegas for a $1 billion ballpark, the plans to relocate the franchise hit him hard.
"It was a sad day when you hear that announcement,” Vogt told the San Francisco Chronicle's Matt Kawahara on Tuesday. “It’s the Oakland A’s. And I know that nothing’s final or nothing’s in stone. But it did, it stirred up a lot of memories.
“I was a kid who grew up in California, and the A’s are Oakland. Hopefully this situation just gets ironed out soon, whatever direction it ends up going.”
Vogt, who now serves as the Seattle Mariners' bullpen and quality control coach, retired with the A's last season. He returned to Oakland for one final campaign in 2022 after spending 4 1/2 seasons there from 2013 to 2017. Even after his first stint with the A's was over, he remained in the hearts of Oakland fans who had become accustomed to chanting "We believe in Stephen Vogt!" throughout the Coliseum.
Now, it's uncertain how much longer fans will enjoy baseball in Oakland. Despite the team's binding agreement, Steve Yeager, the speaker of the Nevada Assembly, recently told The Nevada Independent that the legislature could “run out of time” approving a plan to send public money to help construct a new A's stadium in Las Vegas.
Vogt and the Mariners wrapped up their three-game series in Oakland on Thursday. And while he doesn't know how many more times he'll be able to visit the stadium where he has heard his name echoing throughout the stands so many times, for now, the 38-year-old with managerial aspirations is soaking in every moment of being a coach.
Oakland Athletics
"I really love being a coach,” Vogt told Kawahara. “I love being around the game, I love just being available for people. It hasn’t been all that difficult a transition. Being a backup catcher your last few years, you have that player-coach kind of mentality. Now I just don’t have to face major-league pitching anymore, and I’m really excited about that. But the transition has been very, very smooth.”
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Whether or not the A's potential transition to Las Vegas is smooth remains to be seen. But as it seems so far, nothing about it is certain -- though Vogt's love for Oakland is.