Daniel Vogelbach

Daniel Vogelbach

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 250 lb.
• High School Bishop Verot High School
• Debut September 12, 2016

• Born December 17, 1992 in Orlando, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

1B Daniel Vogelbach was a second-round selection by the Chicago Cubs in the 2011 amateur draft, out of a high school in Florida. The scout was Lukas McKnight. He made his debut that year by playing 6 games for the AZL Cubs then split 2012 between the AZL Cubs and the Boise Hawks of the Pioneer League, putting up a solid batting line of .322/.410/.641 in 61 games. he hit 21 doubles and 17 homers that year.

Dan continued to hit well for the Kane County Cougars of the Midwest League and Daytona Cubs of the Florida State League in 2013 as in 131 games, he hit .284/.375/.449. Once again, his power was on display, with 23 doubles and 19 homers in addition to 76 RBIs. he then played 132 games with Daytona in 2014, and hit .268/.357/.329, with 28 doubles and 16 homers. In 2015, an injury limited to 76 games with the Tennessee Smokies of the AA Southern League, as well as a few rehabilitation games with the AZL Cubs. With Tennessee, he continued to hit, with a line of .272/.403/.425. He moved up to the AAA Iowa Cubs in 2016, where in 89 games he was hitting .318/.425/.548. Given that his further advance was blocked by the presence of All-Star 1B Anthony Rizzo in Chicago, it was a good thing for him that on July 20th, he was sent to the Seattle Mariners along with P Paul Blackburn in a trade for Ps Mike Montgomery and Jordan Pries. He made his major league debut with the Mariners later that season, hitting .083 in 8 games.

Vogelbach spent most of 2017 in the minors, playing 125 games with the Tacoma Rainiers where he hit .290 with 17 homers and 93 RBIs. In a cup of coffee in the majors, he hit .214 in 16 games. It seemed like he was ready for a longer look at the big league level, but that's not really what happened, as he spent a third straight season in AAA in 2018, with 84 games at Tacoma, where he again hit .290, with 20 homers and 60 RBIs. In the majors, he played 37 games, hitting .207, and slugging his first 4 career homers while driving in 13 runs.

Following that long apprenticeship, he finally played a full major league season in 2019. He played 144 games, split between DH and first base, and made the All-Star team as a rookie, as he hit .238 with 21 homers and 51 RBIs in the first half. However, he fell back in the second half, his batting average tumbling to .162. He finished the year at .208 with 30 homers and 76 RBIs, good for an OPS+ of 112, thanks largely to his 92 walks, which gave him an OBP of .341. He also struck out 149 times as a typical three true outcomes player. In 2020, he started very slowly for the Mariners, as after 18 games he was hitting just .094 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs. On August 24th, his contract was purchased by the Toronto Blue Jays, who were actually fighting for a postseason slot, contrary to the M's. Still, it wasn't clear what role was envisaged for the big slugger, given the Jays already had two players limited to the same positions as him in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Rowdy Tellez; one observer quipped that they were just looking to build a strong offensive line. That said, he clearly was not a fit on this team, and after just two games, during which he went 0 for 4 with a walk, he was designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers on September 3rd. It seemed that Milwaukee was finally a good fit for him, as in his first 40 plate appearances with the Brewers, his OPS was 1.197, among the top 10 in the majors for that period. He hit .328 in 19 games for Milwaukee, to raise his average for the season to .209 with 6 homers and 16 RBIs in 39 games. He appeared in the postseason for the first time, going 1 for 5 with a double and a runs scored in the Brewers' loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Wild Card Series.

On September 5, 2021, he had one of the biggest hits of the season when he banged a walk-off grand slam off closer Alex Reyes of the St. Louis Cardinals, to turn a 5-2 deficit into a 6-5 Brewers win. It came in the bottom of the 9th, albeit with one out not two, turning a win probability of barely 20% into a victory. He played 93 games that season, hitting .219 with 9 homers and 24 RBIs, for an OPS+ of 98. He went 0 for 1 with a walk as the Brewers lost to the Atlanta Braves in the Division Series. In 2022, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent and had a solid first half, batting .228 with 12 homers and 34 RBIs, with an OPS+ of 117. Thanks to his ability to draw walks, he was sometimes used as the lead-off hitter by the Bucs. On July 22nd, he was traded to the New York Mets in return for rookie pitcher Colin Holderman, who had made his major league debut earlier in the season. He played another 55 games for the Mets, hitting .255. Overall, he hit .238 in 130 games between the two teams, with 18 homers, 59 RBIs and an OPS+ of 126. In the postseason, he went 0 for 7 with an RBI as the Mets were upset by the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series.

In 2023, he spent a full season with the Mets, playing 104 games and hitting .233 with 13 homers and 48 RBIs; his OPS+ was 104. The Mets had a disappointing season, failing to make the postseason, and after the season, he was allowed to leave via free agency. On February 18, 2024, he signed a free agent deal with the Toronto Blue Jays although, as had been the case in his first brief passage with the team in 2020, it wasn't clear what role he was expected to play, or whether he would even make the team's opening day roster. It was confirmed on March 24th that he would head north with the team, although it wasn't clear how much playing time he would get given Justin Turner was expected to get most of the starts at DH. He lasted with the Jays until mid-June, getting into 31 games and batting .186 with 1 homer and 8 RBIs in 70 at-bast for an OPS+ of 68. The main issue was finding him at-bats, as his only possible positions were DH and pinch-hitter. He did get a few starts at DH when Turner went into a deep slump in May, and while he had a few good games, it was not enough to displace him permanently. On June 14th, the Blue Jays did what was seemingly inevitable: designate him for assignment and bring up rookie Addison Barger, a player with some upside as a hitter and able to play the field.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (2019)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2019)
• 30-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2019)

Further Reading

• Anthony DiComo: "After hurricane, Vogelbach fundraising for hometown", mlb.com, October 6, 2022. [1]
• Dawn Klemish: "Vogelbach brings much more than just 'Milkshake' to the yard", mlb.com, March 14, 2024. [2]

Related Sites

• Daniel Vogelbach on mlb.com
• BR Minors page