Vogelbach Returns to Pirates as Hitting Specialist

Everybody in baseball has a beginning.

A year ago, Daniel Vogelbach broke spring training camp as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. Playing for his fifth MLB club in nine seasons, Vogelbach was a "hired gun." A left-handed bat as a designated hitter and possibly sprinkled in a few games at first base, this is how Vogelbach’s role was seen.

By mid-June, after seeing his playing time diminished to 31 games, Vogelbach was designated for assignment by Toronto. Four days later, the former second-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2011, was job hunting.

At 31 years old, Vogelbach’s phone went silent. There would be no more MLB roster spots to accept. In his rear-view mirror of baseball highs and lows was a selection in 2019 to the American League All-Star squad. In the game played at Cleveland’s Progressive Field, Vogelbach received an at-bat, pinch-hitting for designated hitter J.D. Martinez.

So, when Matt Hague was hired last November by the Pittsburgh Pirates as their new hitting coach, few should be surprised that Vogelbach would follow him to Bradenton at the start of spring training. Last season, Hague’s first coaching assignment on the MLB level, came as Toronto’s assistant hitting coach. Hague and Vogelbach have a history with the Blue Jays. Once he decided that his playing career was over, Vogelbach looked towards his future in the game, and coaching was logically his next step.

At the start of spring training in Bradenton, at Pirate City in February, Vogelbach was signed to work with hitters. Under the guidance of Hague and the familiarity of the organization that he played for in 2022, Vogelbach found himself in a comfortable baseball spot.

“I enjoy the game and everything that comes with it,” Vogelbach told The Bradenton Times this past spring. “Being around the guys and the competition baseball offers, I wanted to stay involved for the long haul.”

Today, when watching a Pirates’ game on TV, or if you attend a game in person, a glance into Pittsburgh’s dugout and you see Vogelbach. When speaking with him during spring training, Vogelbach wasn’t clear as to what his immediate role is with the organization.

“I'm not sure if I’ll be splitting my time with the Pirates and their minor league clubs.”
So far, it’s with the big club that Vogelbach is contributing to. Along with Hague, assistant hitting coach Christian Marrero, and others who chart Pirates’ hitting, Vogelbach is learning the ropes of how hitting information is gathered, distributed, and digested by the club’s offense.

“Matt (Hague) is very knowledgeable about hitting. Helping hitters with their swing mechanics and how I can help make them better is what I’m concentrating on,” says Vogelbach, who in 2022 suited up for 75 Pirates games.

With 600-plus games played on the MLB level and 700-plus more along his minor league journey, few players come along with as much experience as Vogelbach. His hunger to be in the game and to remain relevant for seasons to come, helping others reach the highest level of play as he did, is what has Vogelbach prepared to ‘pay his dues.’

Vogelbach is as pleasant to speak with as he is eager to explain the finer points of hitting. He genuinely appears content to be back with the Pirates.

“Life is unpredictable. You never know who you’re going to run into or get to work with. The group I’m around now, giving me an opportunity that a year ago I wouldn’t have thought possible, are good people. I’m ready to grow as a coach.”