Seattle Mariners: How long will Daniel Vogelbach stick around?
Herb Nightengale
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There are Seattle Mariners fans who consider Daniel Vogelbach a good player. However, how long can the designated hitter stick around due to his poor results at the plate in 2020?
During the recent homestand, Daniel Vogelbach had two hits in 19 at-bats going into Sunday’s game. He finally hit his first home run this season on Thursday, in a loss to end the series against the Los Angeles Angels. Series against the Rockies, he had no hits. In his final at-bat on Sunday, where the Seattle Mariners finally won 5-3, he struck out with the bases loaded with all three swings and misses on sliders.
Vogelbach led the Mariners last year with 30 home runs. However, 20 of them were by the end of June. Since he made the 2019 American League All-Star team last season, he has struggled at the mightily at the plate. In July, he hit .197 with five home runs, August .130 with three home runs, and September .161 with two home runs. It’s been a steady decline.
Before Sunday’s game manager Scott Servais said they would have one catcher, a utility player, and two pitchers added to the taxi squad heading out on the eight-game road trip. The Mariners are in the middle of a three-game series with the Texas Rangers. After an off day, they head to Houston for another three-game series followed by two against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.
Houston and Los Angeles, have two of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball. How many times will Vogelbach have a chance to hit? Will he still be on the team when they return home?
The Mariners are struggling in the bottom half of the batting order as well. First baseman Evan White is batting .105, right fielder Mallex Smith (.135) and platoon players Dee Gordon (.167), Joe Hudson (.125), and Tim Lopes (.238) are off to bad starts. They can’t afford another dead bat in the lineup.
There is talk from the local media about bringing the organization’s top prospect, Jarred Kelenic up. That may be a good plan, but the Mariners should look at getting some at-bats out of Jake Fraley. Any roster changes should begin by moving on from Vogelbach.
How much longer will the Mariners keep Daniel Vogelbach on the roster?
In 12 games this season, Vogelbach is slashing .088/.176/.262 slash line with just 3 hits in 34 at-bats with a homer and two RBI, eight walks and nine strikeouts.https://t.co/XdyVBxoc1m
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) August 10, 2020
We all know the Seattle Mariners. Vogelbach doesn’t seem to be a part of it, so he’s expendable. Maybe a change of scenery would help him turn his career around.