The Toronto Blue Jays made a notable addition by signing a left-handed hitting first baseman/designated hitter whose name bears similarities to Joey Votto, though it wasn’t Votto himself. As position players begin reporting to spring training camps, Votto, the veteran Canadian-born player and all-time leader in games played, remains unsigned. Instead, the Blue Jays opted to bring in Daniel Vogelbach on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. While Vogelbach, a 31-year-old with extensive experience, has the potential to contribute positively to the team, his signing underscores the overall underwhelming nature of the Blue Jays’ offseason moves.
Reportedly, Vogelbach’s deal includes a $2 million salary if he makes the major league roster, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Interestingly, this isn’t Vogelbach’s first stint with the Blue Jays, though it might not immediately come to mind. He briefly joined the team during the shortened 2020 season, playing just two games and recording zero hits in four at-bats before being claimed off waivers by the Brewers. After spending the entirety of the 2021 season with the Brewers, Vogelbach split the 2022 season between the Pirates and Mets, showing promise during his time with the latter. Last year, he continued with the Mets organization.
Despite starting the 2023 season on a productive note, Vogelbach’s performance took a downturn, resulting in a .213/.326/.348 (92 wRC+) batting line by the end of June. During this period, he was sidelined for eight days to take a mental break. However, his fortunes improved from July onwards, with a batting line of .258/.355/.475 (131 wRC+) and eight home runs in 138 plate appearances. Despite this improvement, he saw limited playing time in September, making just five starts and not appearing in the Mets’ final 16 games. Consequently, he was not tendered a contract in November.
Even in a challenging season, Vogelbach exhibited strong plate discipline, with a chase rate of only 24.1% and a walk rate of 13.2%. However, his strikeout rate rose to 25.4%, the highest since 2019. Although he didn’t accumulate enough playing time to meet Statcast’s percentile thresholds, his average exit velocity of 91.7 mph and a 50% hard-hit rate would have ranked in the 86th and 93rd percentiles, respectively.
Vogelbach’s limitations are evident in his playing history. During his time with the Mets, he didn’t play any games in the field, and he had only five appearances for the Pirates before being traded in July 2022. His defensive metrics at first base over his seven-year career suggest he’s better suited as a designated hitter (-8 RAA, -15 DRS in 1,059.2 innings). In 2023, he struggled against left-handed pitchers, going 0-for-15 with a walk and eight strikeouts, and this weakness has been consistent throughout his career (.129/.248/.215, 35 wRC+ in 323 plate appearances against lefties). Additionally, he has never attempted a stolen base in the majors, which is unsurprising given his low sprint speed in the second percentile.
Given these limitations, Vogelbach may struggle to find a consistent role on the Blue Jays roster. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. currently holds the first baseman position, and Toronto signed Justin Turner, a right-handed hitter, to a one-year, $13 million contract to primarily serve as the designated hitter while also providing infield versatility, as he did last year with the Red Sox. Turner’s performance against right-handed pitchers in 2023 was slightly below average (105 wRC+ with a .273/.335/.430 line in 462 plate appearances), but this may not necessitate a platoon arrangement considering his strong track record against righties in the previous three seasons (132 wRC+).
Given the nature of the role being considered, it’s not particularly difficult to grasp why the Blue Jays opted to sign Vogelbach instead of the 40-year-old Votto, who entered free agency after spending 17 seasons with the Reds and had a challenging year in 2023. Following surgery in August 2022 to address tears in his left rotator cuff and biceps, Votto didn’t return to action until June 19. While he did hit a home run in his second plate appearance, he struggled overall, posting a batting line of .202/.314/.433 (98 wRC+) with 14 home runs in 208 plate appearances. With the exception of his slugging percentage and barrel rate, neither his batting line nor his underlying Statcast metrics were as impressive as those of Vogelbach.