Daniel Vogelbach has logged a fantastic spring for the Seattle Mariners, but it still might not be enough to make their opening day roster.
The Seattle Mariners have a predicament on their hands when it comes to the construction of their opening day roster. What do they do with top prospect Daniel Vogelbach after his hot Spring Training?
The 25-year-old First Baseman has had a monster spring, he’s batting .383 with a .500 on-base percentage, five home runs and 11 runs batted in. You would think with numbers this good he’d be a lock to make the roster but that actually might not be the case for Vogelbach.
The Mariners don’t have an open position to plop him in. This offseason they traded for Oakland A’s slugger Ryon Healy to play first base. Healy, who is 26-years-old and on a great contract this year, is a more established offensive force for first base. Last year in Oakland he hit .271 with 25 home runs and 78 rbi’s.
He’s a more established commodity than Vegelbach who has a slash line of .175/.250/.200 at the Major League level over the course of 24 games in two years. First Base certainly seems out of the question for the foreseeable future.
The only other option is DH but the Mariners have Nelson Cruz designated for that spot. In 2017 the 36-year-old had a slash line of .288/.375/.549 while dropping 39 home runs and 119 rbi’s. Even at the later stages of his career, Cruz has been a valuable piece for Seattle hitting 126 home runs over three years with the team.
With both first base and DH already taken, the Mariners would be better off sending Daniel Vogelbach to AAA Tacoma. It doesn’t do him any good to sit on the bench and get no at bats so you might as well have him work on his game and stay warm in the minors.
Vogelbach’s been extremely successful at the AAA level over the course of his career. Last year in 125 games he hit .290/.388/.455 with 17 homers and 83 runs driven in. Two years ago was even better for him when he hit .292/.417/.505 with 23 bombs and 96 runs batted in.
Start him in AAA and see how he plays at the level for the first few months of the year. If the Mariners are out of it, which is entirely possible with the Astros locked and loaded again in the AL West, Seattle should think about making a move to free up a spot for Vogelbach.
The most moveable guy seems like Nelson Cruz. Cruz is entering the final year of a four-year $57 million contract. Somebody will bight on Cruz for just $14 million this year, especially if he continues to hit for that price.
Seattle hasn’t made the playoffs in 16 years. Holding on to a guy like Nelson Cruz, who isn’t a part of your long-term solution doesn’t make any sense. You can flip him for some high-level prospects to a team that’s a contender and give Vogelbach the second half of the year to get adjusted to the Major League Level.
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Just because Vogelbach doesn’t make the MLB roster to start the year in this scenario, doesn’t mean there isn’t a plan for him. If Seattle was smart they’d recognize his potential and plan accordingly for their future.