Daniel Taylor Vogelbach (born December 17, 1992) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, Milwaukee Brewers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Vogelbach was born and raised in the Fort Myers, Florida area where he attended

Bishop Verot High School Bishop Verot High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Fort Myers, Florida. It is located in the Diocese of Venice, Florida. History Bishop Verot Catholic High School was established in 1962 as Fort Myers Central Catholic High Scho ...

and played varsity baseball. He passed on his commitment to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

when he was drafted in the second round of the

2011 MLB draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

by the Chicago Cubs. After spending multiple seasons in the Cubs farm system, Vogelbach was traded to the Mariners in July 2016 and made his MLB debut with them two months later. Between 2016 and 2018, Vogelbach received sporadic playing time at the major league level and was frequently sent down to the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

. In 2019, Vogelbach set a career-high 144 games played and received an All-Star selection for his contributions at first base and as designated hitter. After starting the shortened 2020 season batting .094, Vogelbach was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Mariners. He played a brief two-game stint with the Blue Jays before finishing out the 2020 season with the Brewers and remaining with the team for the 2021 season. Vogelbach signed with the Pirates as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2022 and was traded to the Mets midway through the season.

Amateur career

Vogelbach attended

in Fort Myers, Florida. He committed to play

at the

. As a senior in high school, he had a .551

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with nine

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and was ''

The News-Press ''The News-Press'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper located in Fort Myers, Florida, serving primarily Lee County, as well as parts of Hendry, Collier, and Charlotte Counties. The paper publishes several editions of its "Local & State" (metro) s ...

'' All-Area Baseball Player of the Year. At the time, he was listed at tall and weighing .

Professional career

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs selected Vogelbach in the second round of the

. He made his professional debut with the

Arizona League Cubs The Arizona Complex League Cubs are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays it home games at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The team is composed mainly of player ...

. In six games, he had a .292 average with one home run in 24 at bats. In 2012, Vogelbach started the season with the Arizona League Cubs and was promoted to the

Boise Hawks The Boise Hawks are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. Home games are played at Memorial Stadium in Garden City, Idaho, a small city surroun ...

during the season. At the time, he weighed over . He finished the season with a

slash line S sabermetrics :Sabermetrics is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics. The term is derived from the SABR – the Society for American Baseball Research. The term was coined by Bill James, an ...

of .322/.410/.641 with 17 home runs and 62

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

over 245 at bats in 61 games. In 2013, Vogelbach started the season with the

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are an independent professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play thei ...

and was promoted to the

Daytona Cubs Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it. Daytona may also refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as ...

near the end of the season. He finished the year with a .284/.375/.449 slash line with 19 home runs over 483 at bats in 131 games. Prior to the 2014 season, he lost over to help improve his defense, and escape being labelled a "designated-hitter-only". In 2014, he batted .268 for the Daytona Cubs. After the season, Cubs added him to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

. He played for the

Tennessee Smokies The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Southern League in 2015. In 2016, Vogelbach began the season with the Iowa Cubs of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

Pacific Coast League (PCL).

Seattle Mariners

Daniel Vogelbach (34687637906) (cropped)

On July 20, 2016, the Cubs traded Vogelbach and Paul Blackburn to the

for

Mike Montgomery Michael John Montgomery (born February 27, 1947) is a retired American basketball coach. He is best known for his 18-year tenure at Stanford (1986–2004), where he led the program to 12 NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 199 ...

and Jordan Pries. The Mariners assigned him to the

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...

of the PCL, and promoted him to the major leagues on September 12, after the Rainiers were eliminated from the PCL postseason. He made his major-league debut later that night as a pinch-hitter against the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

, grounding into a fielder's choice in his first at bat. The next night, he got the first start and first hit of his MLB career, recording a single to right in his third plate appearance. In 2016, he accrued a .083/.154/.183 slash line in 8 games. In 2017, when playing for the

, Vogelbach hit .290 with 17 home runs and 83 RBI. Vogelbach also participated in the Triple-A home run derby. He made it all the way to the final round before finally losing to Bryce Brentz of the

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

. In August 2017, Vogelbach was called up to the major leagues. He was used for the remainder of the season as a pinch hitter and back-up

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

, as the Mariners already had

Yonder Alonso Yonder Alonso (born April 8, 1987) is a Cuban former professional baseball first baseman and current MLB Network analyst. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Cl ...

and

Danny Valencia Daniel Paul Valencia (דני ולנסיה; born September 19, 1984) is an American-Israeli professional baseball player who currently plays for the Israeli national baseball team. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota ...

covering first base duties. In MLB during 2017, he slashed .214/.290/.250 in 28 at bats. On March 25, 2019, the Mariners announced that Vogelbach had made their Opening Day roster. In 2019, he had a slash line of .208/.341/.439 with 30 home runs and 76 RBIs. He was thrown the highest percentage of curveballs of all American League batters (13.2%), and swung at the lowest percentage of all pitches of all major league batters (34.1%). Vogelbach represented the Mariners in the 2019 MLB All-Star Game on July 9. On August 19, 2020, Vogelbach was

by the Mariners after he began the season batting 5-for-53 (.094) in 18 games. Overall in parts of five seasons with Seattle, Vogelbach batted .196 with 36 home runs and 95 RBIs in 223 games.

Toronto Blue Jays

On August 23, 2020, the

acquired Vogelbach for cash considerations. On September 1, 2020, Vogelbach was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays. At the time of his designation, Vogelbach only had 4 hitless at-bats for the Blue Jays.

Milwaukee Brewers

On September 3, 2020, Vogelbach was claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. In 19 games with the 2020 Brewers, Vogelbach slashed .328/.418/.569 with four home runs. He returned to the Brewers for 2021. On June 23, he was placed on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain, was transferred to the 60-day injured list on August 22, and was activated on September 1. For the 2021 season, he slashed .219/.349/.381 with 9 home runs and 24 RBIs in 93 games. On November 30, Vogelbach was non-tendered by the Brewers, making him a

Pittsburgh Pirates

On March 15, 2022, Vogelbach signed a one-year contract with a team option for a second year with the Pittsburgh Pirates. On May 17, Vogelbach hit the first triple of his career off of Keegan Thompson of the Chicago Cubs. In 75 games with the Pirates, he batted .228 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs.

New York Mets

On July 22, 2022, the Pirates traded Vogelbach to the

for

Colin Holderman Colin Scott Holderman (born October 8, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022 with the New York Mets. Amateur career Holderman graduated from Br ...

. He made his first appearance with the Mets on July 24, going 1-for-3 with a

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

. On August 3, 2022 Vogelbach hit his first home run as a Met, a

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

off of

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

reliever Jordan Weems in

Nationals Park Nationals Park is a baseball stadium along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Home to Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals since its completion in 2008, it was the first LEED-certified green major profe ...

, becoming the 11th Mets player to hit a grand slam as his first homerun with the team. In November, the Mets exercised their option with him for the 2023 season.https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2022/11/08/daniel-vogelbachs-1-5m-option-for-2023-exercised-by-mets/

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vogelbach, Dan 1992 births Living people American League All-Stars American people of German descent Arizona League Cubs players Baseball players from Florida Boise Hawks players Daytona Cubs players Iowa Cubs players Kane County Cougars players Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball first basemen Mesa Solar Sox players Milwaukee Brewers players Nashville Sounds players New York Mets players Pittsburgh Pirates players People from North Fort Myers, Florida Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players Tennessee Smokies players Toronto Blue Jays players