OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Vogt played eight years in the minors and knows what it feels like to ride a bus overnight all the way from Gwinnett, Georgia, to Norfolk, Virginia, only to be told the hotel rooms aren’t ready. He understands what it means to be 25 years old without having had a taste of Double-A.

He can vividly recall a conversation with his wife about walking away from baseball before the 2010 season, to go into coaching, and how she reminded him that this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play and that he should keep trying until somebody rips the uniform off him.

Vogt knows how difficult it is to reach the big leagues, having made his debut at 27 years old, and waiting 14 months after that to get his first hit.

And Vogt can offer first-person anecdotes about starting every playoff game for the Oakland Athletics this past fall, following that with a great spring, only to be sent to the minors at the end of camp.