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Seattle Mariners: Scouting Report on 1B Prospect Dan Vogelbach

By Benjamin Chase

Oct. 9, 2014; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Dan Vogelbach plays for the Mesa Solar Sox against the Salt River Rafters during an Arizona Fall League game at Cubs Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Oct. 9, 2014; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Dan Vogelbach plays for the Mesa Solar Sox against the Salt River Rafters during an Arizona Fall League game at Cubs Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

The Seattle Mariners acquired 1B prospect Dan Vogelbach from the Chicago Cubs in a July trade. What kind of player is he?

Who Is He?

Vogelbach was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2011 draft by the Cubs out of high school in Florida. They started him initially at their Arizona Rookie League team, and he hit .292/.370/.542 over six games, which did raise some eyebrows, but it was not unexpected from a big slugger.

For his first full season the Cubs started him back in the ARL, and he absolutely destroyed the ball. After 115 plate appearances, they moved him up to Boise in the short-season A-ball Northwest League, and even that didn’t slow him down. Overall on the season, he had a combined .322/.410/.641 line with 17 home runs and 21 doubles over 283 plate appearances. Suddenly, he was getting a lot of buzz, and while he didn’t make top 100 lists for the “big 3”, he was making them on other sources, ranking #98 with John Sickels.

In 2013, Vogelbach continued to hit well, playing most of his season for Kane County in the Midwest League as a 20-year-old. He was called up to Daytona in the Florida State League and High-A ball for 17 games to close out the season, and he actually had a better OPS in that call up than his full season numbers. Vogelbach for the season hit .284/.375/.449 with 19 home runs and 23 doubles, and he continued to show excellent plate discipline for a power hitter with a 73/89 BB/K ratio.

Vogelbach spent the entire 2014 season with Daytona, and he seemed to “stall”, though he still put up solid numbers. Many were expecting a monster power season based on Vogelbach’s size and swing, so a .268/.357/.429 season really didn’t blow anyone away. The Cubs sent him to the Arizona Fall League to play with some of the best prospects in the game, and he struggled in power, but he did display his excellent strike zone judgement, hitting .261/.398/.319.

2015 brought a bit of an injury bug that sapped Vogelbach’s power and cost him nearly half of his season. He played at AA Tennessee, and he hit .272/.403/.425 with seven home runs and 16 doubles over 313 plate appearances.

With All-Star Anthony Rizzo in place in Chicago, his near-ready bat and defensive limitations to first base made Vogelbach expendable, and he was traded for lefty Mike Montgomery in the midst of of a very solid season with a 2016 line of .296/.413/.507 with 18 home runs and 20 doubles and a 71/82 BB/K.

Next: Vogelbach's scouting report

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