Buck Showalter 'met resistance' from Billy Eppler over removing Daniel Vogelbach from Mets lineup: report
Daniel Vogelbach’s first full season with the Mets didn’t go as he or the club had hoped.
Vogelbach slashed .233/.339/.404, and while his on-base clip was above the league average of .320, he failed to hit for much power, ending the season with 13 home runs in 319 plate appearances.
But even when Vogelbach was struggling, he still seemed to be a mainstay in the lineup, appearing as the team’s DH in 78 games, by far the most of any player on the roster (Mark Vientos is next up at 34 games).
Now there appears to be more clarity on exactly why this was the case.
According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, now-former manager Buck Showalter “met resistance” from now-former general manager Billy Eppler when wanting to use different DH options against right-handed pitching.
Showalter “was told he had to play Vogebach,” a source told Puma.
The Post also reports that one of the reasons why Showalter wanted to explore different options was his philosophy that the DH position should be used as a rotating spot to allow position plays a day off here and there from playing in the field.
Furthermore, Vogelbach’s limited skill set (not being able to play the field, slow speed on the bases), along with his lack of power, didn’t make up for his ability to get on base in Showalter’s mind, per Puma.
Vogelbach did endure a prolonged slump in early June, going 1-for-19 before being given a nine-day rest to reset his approach, physically and mentally. And while his numbers improved upon returning, Vogelbach’s consistent presence in the lineup after the trade deadline also meant less DH opportunities for young players like Vientos, and eventually Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty.
According to Puma, Showalter “began openly questioning” why Vogelbach was on the roster after the team was unable to deal him at the deadline.
The 30-year-old Vogelbach is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility, and while he probably won’t cost much more than the $1.5 million salary he played under last season, his future in New York seems anything but certain.
