Daniel Vogelbach doesn’t really agree that he’s been struggling at the plate since returning from the injured list June 3.
To be fair, there are two ways to look at it. On one hand, Vogelbach has hit below the Mendoza line in both May and June after hitting .311 with an OPS over .800 in April. On the other, he still leads the Pirates in walk percentage and expected slugging percentage and is second on the team in hard hit rate.
More simply, you can either look at Vogelbach’s recent run of play and say he hasn’t gotten the desired results often enough, or you can say the process still appears to be the same as it was early in the season and he is due to turn things around.
For those curious, Vogelbach stands in the latter camp, though he understands why some would wonder what’s going wrong.
“We can get caught up in hits in this game and batting average,” Vogelbach said after Tuesday’s win, in which he went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks. “That stuff’s out of our control. The past few weeks, I’ve hit some balls really, really hard — especially in the air — that, if they go another way, no one ever thinks that things weren’t going well for me. My swing’s felt great. The only thing is, sometimes you get caught up in chasing some hits and you chase a little more than you do. My swing’s felt fine.”
Vogelbach’s process-over-results stance shouldn’t surprise anyone. At this stage in his career, he’s gained a pretty good understanding of how difficult baseball can be over a 162-game season.
When the Pirates have won a few games in a row this season and Vogelbach has been asked about it, he’s taken a simple tone, often saying simply that “winning is fun” and the Pirates would like to do more of it.
Even with his teammates, he prefers to temper expectations, knowing the sport can humble players quickly. That’s even true for shortstop Oneil Cruz, the 6-foot-7 marvel drawing all the attention at the moment.
“His tools are off the chart. He can hit the ball a long way; he throws the ball hard; he can run; he does it all,” Vogelbach said. “I think the biggest thing is we have to realize the big leagues is hard. No matter how good we are, we’re all going to struggle at some point. Just us being there for him in the sense of being the same guy every day, he’s gonna have a heck of a career — not adding the pressure to him, just making it seem like he’s playing another game and not letting the outside noise get to him and knowing that the guys in the locker room have his back.”
The point is Vogelbach understands the mindset needed to have a chance at success in the majors. To summarize that mindset, it’s to accept the small wins.
That’s what Vogelbach is trying to do now, and it’s why he isn’t panicking over a couple months with a low batting average.
It doesn’t mean he hasn’t made any adjustments at the plate — he has. Mostly, he’s tried to refine his approach and get back to commanding the strike zone, understanding a walk can be as good as a single and you can’t turn around a season with one swing anyway.
Perhaps it isn’t a satisfactory answer to those on the outside, but it’s the one Vogelbach’s got. The Pirates signed him to be him, and he has a good understanding of what that means.
“You just gotta keep trusting yourself, trusting that when you don’t have that many at-bats — 150 at-bats, in the grand scheme of things, is not a lot in a season. That can turn 30-40 points in a week,” Vogelbach said. “I think the biggest thing is just reminding yourself that walking is hitting. An 0-for-2 with two walks is a good night in the big leagues, stuff like that and not forcing. Sometimes pitchers are going to make pitches and you’ve gotta tip your cap. It’s just at-bat by at-bat every night.”
Injury updates
The trio of Kevin Newman, Yoshi Tsutsugo and Josh VanMeter, who all played for Class AAA Indianapolis on Tuesday to begin rehab assignments, will be joined by outfielder Ben Gamel on Thursday. Gamel, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, will fly to Indianapolis on Wednesday, and manager Derek Shelton said the expectation is he will play Thursday.
Director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk added the Pirates don’t currently have an expectation for how long each player will need in the minors before being ready to return to the majors.
In worse news, the team’s No. 1 prospect on MLB Pipeline, second baseman Nick Gonzales, was moved from the 7-day IL to the 60-day IL on Tuesday. Re-evaluation of the injury revealed an issue with the plantar fascia on his right foot. Gonzales will be in a walking boot for the near future before building back up again.
As for the rest of the MLB guys on the shelf right now, both outfielder Jake Marisnick and right-hander Duane Underwood Jr., have been cleared to return to PNC Park after spending time on the COVID IL. Tomczyk didn’t give an idea for how long Underwood will have to remain out before feeling well enough to pitch in games again. Marisnick, on the other hand, could begin a rehab assignment as early as next week after a thumb injury has held him out since May.
On the other hand, infielder Tucupita Marcano has still not been cleared to return to the facility from the COVID-IL. Right-hander Zach Thompson, who has nerve inflammation in his right forearm, is currently not throwing, but Tomczyk said the Pirates are optimistic Thompson will only need the minimum 15 days on the injured list.
Right-hander Nick Mears pitched for Indianapolis on Tuesday as part of his rehab assignment but felt forearm tightness after the game and will need to be re-evaluated before further steps are taken. Dillon Peters is expected to throw a live batting practice when the Pirates go to Tampa later in the week.
Meanwhile, Blake Cederlind will begin throwing side sessions later this week, battling back from Tommy John surgery.
