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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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While the Chicago Cubs were working on ending their World Series drought in 2016, Daniel Vogelbach was an intriguing prospect whose combination of power and patience at the plate set him apart from his peers in the minor leagues.
Before he could celebrate a championship in the major leagues, Vogelbach was traded to the Seattle Mariners at the 2016 trade deadline. Three years later, he hit 30 home runs for Seattle and made the only All-Star team of his career.
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That proved to be the high point for Vogelbach, who on Wednesday was announced as a special assistant to the hitting department by the Pittsburgh Pirates, ending his playing career.
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Vogelbach, 32, retires with 81 home runs in 602 games with the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Pirates, and Mariners.
In 2014, Vogelbach played 31 games for Toronto and slashed .186/.278/.300 before he was released in June.
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In 2013, Vogelbach's last full season, he hit .233 with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs in 104 games for the Mets.
Vogelbach was a second-round draft pick of the Cubs in 2011. By 2016, he had ascended to the Triple-A level and put together an eye-popping stat line for the Iowa Cubs: a .318/.425/.548 slash line (.972 OPS), with 55 walks compared to 67 strikeouts.
But Vogelbach, who was listed at 6-feet, 250 pounds, was blocked at first base by Cubs All-Star Anthony Rizzo. Chicago packaged him to Seattle in a trade for pitcher Mike Montgomery, who ended up playing a key role in the Cubs' bullpen en route to their 2016 championship.
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The Mariners promoted Vogelbach to the majors only two months after acquiring him. After shuttling between Triple-A and the majors for the next two years, Vogelbach finally was handed the Mariners' primary DH job in 2019. He responded with the best year of his career: 30 home runs, a .341 on-base percentage, and a 111 OPS+ in 144 games.
But after struggling in 18 games to start the 2020 season (.094/.250/.226), Vogelbach was traded to the Blue Jays for cash, ending his time in Seattle.
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The final five seasons (2020-24) of Vogelbach's career would see him play for five different teams. In 2022, he hit 12 home runs in 75 games with the Pirates, and was traded that July to the Mets for pitcher Colin Holderman. In Queens, Vogelbach became a fan favorite, slashing .255/.393/.436 in 55 games to end the season.
Vogelbach was unable to land a contract after Toronto released him with a .186 batting average last summer.
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