Pirates Hire Former Player As Special Assistant
There's a familiar face on the field for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they prepare for the 2025 season.
Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Pirates have hired former first baseman and designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach as a special assistant to the hitting department. Vogelbach spent part of the 2022 season with Pittsburgh. The left-handed hitting first baseman batted .228/.338/.430 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs before he was traded to the New York Mets for right-handed relief pitcher Colin Holderman.
Vogelbach being added to the staff was likely due in part to his connection with new Pirates hitting coach Matt Hague. Hague was the assistant coach for the Toronto Blue Jays last season, while Vogelbach played 31 games for Toronto in 2024. The Pirates have acquired utility infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa and left-handed hitting first baseman Spencer Horwitz in trades with the Blue Jays.
Vogelbach was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the second round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners in 2016 in a deal that sent left-handed pitcher Mike Montgomery to the Cubs, who got the final out of the World Series in Game 7 vs. the Cleveland Guardians.
After bouncing up and down between the minor leagues and major leagues, Vogelbach finally broke out for the Mariners in 2019, batting .208/.341/.439 with 30 home runs and 76 RBIs and he posted an 111 OPS+ en route to the lone All-Star appearance of his career.
Vogelbach struggled to maintain that success and he was designated for assignment by the Mariners before he was traded to the Blue Jays. Toronto DFA'd Vogelbach days after activating him and traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers. He spent the 2021 season with the Brewers' organization before signing with the Pirates ahead of the 2022 season.
Vogelbach spent the 2023 season with the Mets before returning to Toronto in 2024.
