All-Star Vogelbach forging own slugger path

It would be wildly premature, of course, to compare Daniel Vogelbach to his former Mariners hitting coach, Edgar Martinez. Vogelbach is preparing for his first Midsummer Classic, while Martinez is finalizing his speech for the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

But there are certainly some interesting parallels between the two, mostly revolving around their patient approaches paying off at the plate and in their careers.

• All-Star Game presented by Mastercard: Today, 4:30 p.m. PT on FOX

Vogelbach hits with a fairly unique combination of power and patience, which helped land him a spot in today's All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, thanks to 21 home runs, a healthy .375 on-base percentage and a .505 slugging percentage.

Martinez wasn’t as much of a home run slugger, but his Hall of Fame career was highlighted by a .418 OBP and a .515 SLG. Like Martinez, the 6-foot, 250-pound Vogelbach works deep in counts, finds his pitch and either does damage or draws walks.

Interestingly, Vogelbach had to patiently -- or impatiently at times -- pay his dues in the Minors until finally seeing a full-time spot open up for him on the Mariners’ roster at age 26. Martinez didn’t play his first full season in the Majors until age 27, despite also posting impressive Triple-A numbers for several years.

So no, it certainly didn’t hurt Vogelbach to have a Hall of Fame designated hitter who followed a similar career path around the past few years to ask about hitting or life.

“It was kind of more just mental stuff than anything,” Vogelbach said. “He was the same guy every day, tried to keep even-keeled. You never knew whether things were good or bad, because he was always the same person, always confident. I just tried to pick his brain on little stuff.”

For Vogelbach, the little stuff has added up to big things this season. Finally given a full-time shot at DH after Nelson Cruz departed in free agency, he’s emerged as an integral part of the rebuilding team’s future as a potent left-handed bat with a keen eye at the plate.

Martinez will not be the only person Vogelbach will learn from. Vogelbach will play in his first All-Star Game today, and he plans to pick the brains of a lot of participants.

“I’m just going to soak it in, have fun. I’m going to listen to people, pick the brains of people who have been around a long time. I’m looking forward to having fun,” Vogelbach said. “It’s an honor. You don’t know how many of these you will get. I’m going to take it all in and enjoy it.”

Even this season, there was no certainty that he was part of Seattle’s plans and would have the year that he's having. He came to Spring Training out of Minor League options, so this was a make-or-break year for him in Seattle. With general manager Jerry Dipoto clearing the decks of a number of veterans, Vogelbach was told he’d get a chance.

After being acquired in 2016 by Dipoto in a trade with the Cubs for lefty Mike Montgomery, Vogelbach had received opportunities in previous years, but he didn’t produce in limited at-bats and wound up back in Triple-A for three straight seasons while his Major League numbers stood at .197/.301/.315 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 61 games.

This year? Vogelbach is hitting .238/.375/.505 with 21 homers and 51 RBIs in 85 games. Clearly the patience has paid off, which manager Scott Servais respects, knowing what Vogelbach went through the past three years while riding the shuttle between Seattle and Tacoma.

“It’s very hard,” Servais said. “Often times, you’ll see guys throw their hands up and say, ‘They don’t care about me’ or ‘I’ve got no chance here’ and they just roll over and don’t put up numbers. To Vogey’s credit, he never did that.

“He wasn’t happy about it. Don’t get me wrong. He was not jumping up and down saying, ‘Great, they got somebody else to take my job.’ He was not that way at all. But I credit him for never getting away from doing what he does, which is getting good pitches to hit. He doesn’t swing a ton until he gets his pitch, but it’s been very effective and it’s working for him.”

Servais noted that there aren't many power hitters with the kind of patience that the burly Vogelbach displays at the plate, using Hall of Famer Jim Thome as one notable comparison. But Vogelbach isn’t looking for comparisons. He’s just looking for a chance to make his own name.

This year, at last, Vogelbach has gotten that opportunity -- and seized it.

“All you can ask for in life is a chance, and what you do with your chance is up to you," Vogelbach said. "There’s been some ups and some downs this year. I’m trying to stay as even-keeled as possible, knowing the ups and downs are going to happen. I’m just trying to prove them right for giving me the opportunity.”

The All-Star Game presented by Mastercard will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage.