NEWSLETTER
Another day, another Chicago Cubs prospect among the top ten at his position in baseball. Yesterday, it was Kyle Schwarber at number three behind the plate, and today it’s Dan Vogelbach at number eight on the first base list over at MLB Pipeline.
Vogelbach, 22, spent the full year at High-A Daytona in 2014, posting a .268/.357/.429 line before heading to the Arizona Fall League, where he was a plate discipline machine. Keep the offense-crushing nature of the Florida State League when you observe Vogelbach’s line – his OPS was sixth best among qualifiers in the league.
Still, he’s going to have to take the offense up a notch as he heads to AA to kick of the 2015 season, most likely. While he’s worked a great deal on his conditioning and his defense at first, it’s the bat that will have to carry him to the big leagues. Setting aside any concerns about where he would play if he reached the bigs with the Cubs – that’s a bridge to cross when you come to it – the reality is that Vogelbach retains value to the Cubs only if he keeps hitting as he climbs the ladder.
Which very well could happen, mind you, because not only does Vogelbach have power, he’s always had a very advanced approach at the plate. Consider that last year at High-A, Vogelbach struck out just 16.3% of the time while walking 11.8% of the time.
Putting it on your radar for future consideration: Vogelbach is Rule 5 eligible after this season, so that’s another reason to follow his progress this year.
Check out a video from MLB Pipeline on Vogelbach:
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