Milwaukee Brewers Spring Training is finally upon us, and Rhys Hoskins is looking to become just the second player since Prince Fielder left the team following the 2011 season to make back-to-back Opening Day starts at first base. The other was Rowdy Tellez, who was the Brewers Opening Day first baseman in 2022 and 2023. From 2012-2021, a span of 10 years, 10 different players started at the position on Opening Day.
These players were Mat Gamel, Alex Gonzalez, Lyle Overbay, Adam Lind, Chris Carter, Eric Thames, Ryan Braun, Jesus Aguilar, Justin Smoak, and Keston Hiura.
Obviously, finding an every day first baseman year in and year out has been a struggle for Milwaukee. Of the players listed above, only Lind, Carter, Thames, and Aguilar played the majority of games at first base in the seasons in which they started on Opening Day.
The Milwaukee Brewers Had to Rely on Daniel Vogelbach at First Base for a Season
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Back in September of 2020, the year that Smoak was Milwaukee’s starting first baseman, the Brewers claimed Daniel Vogelbach off of waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. He ended up appearing in 19 games for Milwaukee that season, hitting .328/.418/.569 with four home runs and 12 RBI.
Following the 2020 season, many believed that the Brewers had finally found their long-term answer at first base, at least based on Vogelbach’s performance late in the year after arriving in Milwaukee.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. The former All-Star with the Seattle Mariners hit .238/.360/.433 with 18 home runs and 59 RBI in 130 games for the Brewers in 2021. While not necessarily poor hitting numbers, they certainly were not what Milwaukee was hoping for, and his defensive performance at first base left much to be desired.
As a result, he was allowed to leave in free agency following the 2021 season. He spent 2022 and 2023 split with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets, and then appeared in 31 games for the Blue Jays in 2024.
Former Milwaukee Brewers First Baseman Daniel Vogelbach Has Joined the Pittsburgh Pirates Coaching Staff
After going unsigned this offseason, Vogelbach has accepted a job with the Pirates. His title is special assistant to the hitting department:
The Pirates have brought Daniel Vogelbach on their staff as a special assistant to the hitting department, per @JMackeyPG.
Vogelbach played 75 games in Pittsburgh in 2022. pic.twitter.com/31hsRiKmiZ
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) February 12, 2025
A career .219/.340/.405 hitter, Vogelbach will now help Pittsburgh hitters on both minor and Major League levels improve. While many may scoff at this, it should be noted that many hitting coaches in Major League Baseball were not exactly great hitters themselves.
Vogelbach must have shown he has a deep understanding of the game and is adept at developing relationships with younger players.
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