Sodo Mojo’s Top 10 Mariners Prospects: #9 Daniel Vogelbach

While the Mariners #10 prospect is at least 2 years away, Daniel Vogelbach has already gotten some run with the big club. While he has done little to ingratiate himself to the home town fans, Vogelbach continues profile as a solid hitter when he gets regular play time.

Daniel Vogelbach, the main piece in the Mike Montgomery trade of 2016, has underwhelmed in his Mariners career. He has hardly had an opportunity to stick, garnering only 33 career plate appearances. Vogelbach was originally slated to make the team out of Spring Training as the platoon partner of Danny Valencia, but a poor spring forced him down to AAA Tacoma.

As a prospect, the success of Vogelbach will come down to his bat. One of the slower runners in baseball, Vogelbach cannot help a club on the bases. His dubious defense has improved slightly, but not nearly enough to be trusted for 100+ games at first base. If Vogelbach want’s to have a lengthy career at the Major Leagues, he will need to do so from the batters box.

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Showing an advanced approach at the plate, Vogelbach has a chance to do just that. His career .293/.411/.486 slash at AAA is evidence of that. While he does not poses the power of the prototypical first baseman, he has showed growth in the area, hitting 23 HR in 2016. He has 9 in Tacoma thus far. A 15-20 HR floor is not out of the question.

What stands out most about Vogelbach is his knack for reaching base via the walk. He rarely chases bad pitches, and is able to let the ball travel deep into the zone while still making consistent contact. When everything is going right for him, he will spray line drives from foul line to foul line, making 30+ doubles a season a real possibility.

Next: Mariners Top Prospect Re-Rank: #10 Braden Bishop

Vogelbach could be an attractive name at the deadline. His plus hit tool could be appealing to teams who want a close to finished product they can slide into the DH slot.

Grades (20-80): Hit: 55 Power: 50 Field: 35 Run: 35 Arm: 50 Overall: 50(55 potential.