Vogt wins Hunter Award
Another day, another award for Stephen Vogt — and “this one’s the biggest one to me,” the A’s catcher said Thursday morning.
For the second straight year, the Oakland players, coaches and staff members chose Vogt as the recipient of the Catfish Hunter Award. Named after the Hall of Fame pitcher, the award recognizes performance on the field and, more important, character off it.
“I’m honored to win it,” Vogt said. “That they chose me as the Catfish Hunter Award recipient, it’s just really cool to have your teammates and your peers think of you in that regard.”
Said manager Bob Melvin: “In a season when things haven’t gone your way, to handle yourself the way he has is exceptional. ... The right man got it, definitely.”
On Wednesday, Vogt was named the recipient of the A’s Dave Stewart Community Service Award (he received that award in a pregame ceremony Thursday) as well as the Good Guy award from the Bay Area chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America for cooperation with the media. Vogt already has been named Oakland’s nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.
“It’s truly cool just to be recognized,” Vogt said. “I feel like I go about my business a certain way and I feel like getting recognized for that, it’s the highest honor you can have.
“We’re all good at baseball and we all have good seasons ... but to be recognized as a character person, that’ll go further in life than any home runs or RBIs will. I think those things mean more to me than anything else.”
Vogt, who played first base Wednesday night in his return from a groin injury, was not in Thursday’s lineup. He did pinch hit in the seventh inning, and stayed in the game at first base.
Melvin expects Vogt to be behind the plate when Sonny
Gray pitches against the Giants on Friday evening. Vogt will receive the Hunter Award a few minutes before Gray takes the mound.
Briefly: Billy Butler’s seventh-inning double was his 1,400th career hit. … The A’s have swept the Giants at the Coliseum in four of the past five seasons.