Well, the Blue Jays have finally signed a left-handed power bat.
It’s just not who anyone was expecting, as Robert Murray of Fansided reported that the Jays and Daniel Vogelbach agreed to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.
If you remember, Vogelbach has actually played for the Blue Jays before, getting five plate appearances during the 2020 pandemic year. His best season in terms of wRC+ came in 2022, where he slashed .238/.360/.4333 with 18 homers in 461 plate appearances for a 126 wRC+.
The 31-year-old first baseman/designated hitter’s best power season came in 2019, slashing .208/.341/.439 with a career-high 30 home runs in 558 plate appearances for a 112 wRC+ and a 1.2 fWAR.
Last season, he played for the New York Mets where he slashed .233/.339/.404 with 13 home runs in 319 plate appearances for a 109 wRC+ and a 0.1 fWAR. Despite the raw power, Vogelbach doesn’t strike out an extraordinary amount, posting a 25.4 K% and even a 13.2 BB% in 2023.
For his career, Vogelbach slashed .220/.342/.410 with 80 home runs in 1878 plate appearances from 2016 to 2023. He has a combined 110 wRC+ and has accumulated 2.1 fWAR, with a 15.3 BB% and a 25.3 K%. In terms of his 2024 projections, Fangraphs’ steamer has him slashing .235/.347/.4222 with nine homers in 215 plate appearances, along with a 14.2 BB% and a 24.6 K% for a 112 wRC+ and 0.3 fWAR.
Vogelbach will battle with Spencer Horwitz for the opportunity to DH/play first base. Interestingly, Vogelbach slashed .246/.353/.427 versus right-handed pitching last season, and the New York Mets exclusively used him as a DH against right-handed pitching. If at any point next season Vogelbach is on the Jays, it could very well be the same.
Time will tell if the Jays have found a useful bench bat that can hit in clutch moments, but either way, this signing is definitely a fun one if it isn’t good.
More must-reads: