Smiling Vogey is back ... and so is the mashing

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Daniel Vogelbach has the reputation of a fun-loving guy, the big fella with the broad smile and the well-earned distinction of being the best trash talker in the Mariners' clubhouse.

But the burly 27-year-old takes the game of baseball seriously. He spent plenty of time this winter wondering and then working on why he went from an American League All-Star in the first half last year to a guy whose numbers fell off a cliff.

“Obviously I didn’t have the second half that I wanted,” Vogelbach said. "So you learn from it and you come now and try not to make the same mistakes again.”

One observation for Vogelbach was that he took too many pitches early as he tried to work counts, falling behind too often and tipping the advantage to pitchers. How much does that matter? His OPS in at-bats when he started with a 1-0 count was .956, compared to .587 when he started down 0-1. And it was a healthy .926 when he put the first pitch in play.

The second point of emphasis was his struggles against left-handed hurlers, who held him to a .602 OPS compared to .844 for righties.

Knowing what needs fixing and actually fixing it are two different things. But so far, so good this spring. While Vogelbach hasn’t seen a ton of lefties yet in Arizona, he’s 2-for-5 with two walks and one strikeout vs. southpaws while those numbers grow to a .389 batting average (7-for-18) with one double, four walks and three RBIs in eight overall Cactus League games.

Vogelbach has had big springs in the past and knows the numbers don't tell all of the story. But he likes his approach and is working diligently on taking what lefties give him as well as being more open to drive the ball into left field instead of looking to pull for power at every chance.

“I feel really good,” the Florida native reaffirmed. “I’m swinging at strikes. I feel really good off lefties, and that was my goal coming into Spring Training -- to try to dominate lefties. Every time a lefty is on the mound, really lock in and try to dominate them. It’s something I needed to get better from last year and is a goal of mine, and it starts in Spring Training.”

Vogelbach’s ideal is to be “selectively aggressive.” He’s always been a player who works counts and takes a lot of walks, which, combined with his power potential -- he led Seattle with 30 homers last season -- makes him a valuable commodity if he’s indeed producing those results.

With rookie Evan White expected to draw most of the first-base duties, Vogelbach figures to be used primarily at designated hitter this year. Manager Scott Servais is also open to deploying catchers Tom Murphy and Austin Nola at DH when they’re not starting in the field. Both are right-handers who hit lefties well, so Vogelbach will sit against some southpaws.

But Servais likes the more aggressive version of Vogelbach this spring and anticipates him being an integral part of the Mariners’ young offense.

“I think last year, when he was really good, he was letting it rip,” Servais said. “And when he started struggling a little bit, maybe he got a little too passive. So I think that’s paying off. He has made a couple mechanical adjustments, and he looks great. He looks really good.”

Servais likes seeing the hop in Vogelbach’s step as well. The always smiling "Vogey" helps keep teammates loose, and that approach works for him as well. But it’s hard to play that role while trying to fight out of a lengthy slump.

While Vogelbach has been with the Mariners since 2016, it’s easy to forget that last year was his first full season in the Majors. Every player goes through ups and downs in baseball, and that, too, was part of Vogelbach’s learning curve.

“He did get down on himself last year and was disappointed in how it ended,” Servais said. “But he learned from it. He knows what it’s like to go through it now and just has to handle it a little better. I like where he’s at. He’s going to be a big part in the middle of our lineup.

"He will get on base and he will hit it over the fence. Those are two very valuable things in our game.”