Pittsburgh Pirates Reunite With Daniel Vogelbach, Hire Slugger as Special Assistant

It seems that Daniel Vogelbach's playing days are over, as the 32-year-old slugger is following up his time with the Toronto Blue Jays by joining the Pittsburgh Pirates' hitting department at spring training.

St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Daniel Vogelbach (19) is congratulated by third base coach Mike Rabelo (58) after he hits a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning at Tropicana Field. / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Pirates have hired Daniel Vogelbach as a special assistant to the hitting department, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Noah Hiles reported Wednesday morning.

Vogelbach most recently played 31 games with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2024 before getting released in June. While he had not officially announced his retirement, this latest move seems to suggest his playing days are over.

The 32-year-old slugger-turned-coach has already reported to spring training camp at Pirate City.

Vogelbach previously played for Pittsburgh in 2022, spending the first half of the season with the club prior to a trade that sent him to the New York Mets. In the 75 games Vogelbach played in a Pirates uniform, he hit .228 with 12 home runs, 34 RBI, a .769 OPS and a 0.6 WAR.

In other news, Daniel Vogelbach is here at Pirate City. He has been hired by the organization as a special assistant to the hitting department.

— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) February 12, 2025

Vogelbach, the Chicago Cubs' second round pick in 2011, made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2016. He didn't become an everyday player until 2019, when he broke out by hitting .208 with 30 home runs, 76 RBI, a .780 OPS and a 1.1 WAR.

That was enough to earn Vogelbach the honor of being Seattle's lone representative at the All-Star Game that summer.

Vogelbach finished his career as a .219 hitter with a .745 OPS. He racked up 361 hits, 81 home runs, 246 RBI and a 1.3 WAR across 602 MLB games, serving as a designated hitter or pinch-hitter in the vast majority of his appearances.

The 6-foot, 270-pound Vogelbach will now try to impart his wisdom as a power hitter to the Pirates roster, much of which he played alongside a few years ago.

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