Pittsburgh Pirates: Four Minor League Deals to Consider
By Noah Wright
Daniel Vogelbach
Daniel Vogelbach was formerly a top prospect in the Chicago Cub and then the Seattle Mariner organizations. In 2019, he finally got a regular shot at playing time and made the All-Star Game after a hot start to the season. Though he struggled down the line, he still ended up posting a solid .203/.341/.439 line, blasted 30 home runs, walked 16.5% of the time, and overall had a quality 112 wRC+. Now defense wasn’t his strong suit, but he mostly spent his time at designated hitter.
Vogelbach opened the season as the team’s DH in 2020 but struggled. His contract was eventually purchased by the Toronto Blue Jays and after just two games was selected off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. Vogelbach ended the 2020 season on a hot streak, collecting 19 hits with 4 home runs and 8 walks in his final 67 plate appearances of the season. This earned him a spot on the team’s 2021 roster.
Vogelbach hit for a .219/.349/.381 line in semi-regular playing time. This led to a .325 wOBA, and 101 wRC+. He was still walking a ton, posting a 16.7% walk rate. Despite looking like the prototypical big slugger, three-true-outcomes kind of guy, he only struck out 22.1% of the time. The problem is that the power he displayed in 2019 didn’t show up in 2021. He blasted 9 home runs in 258 plate appearances and his .163 ISO was solid at best, but nothing to write home about.
While it didn’t show in his power numbers, he still displayed a ton of raw power. Vogelbach ripped the cover off the ball. He had a 91.4 MPH exit velocity and a 48.7% hard-hit rate. The likeliest reason for his lack of home run power was that his FB% fell from 44.8% in 2019 to 35.4% in 2021.
The Pittsburgh Pirates could use another 1B/DH power hitter in the organization. Right now, the team doesn’t have a sure answer at one for the two spots. Yoshi Tsutsugo has first base locked down, but DH is still a bit of a question mark. While I’m not suggesting that Vogelbach be brought in as the immediate answer to DH, there would be no risk in bringing in a high-OBP bat with some pop.