Daniel Vogelbach has arrived at Mets spring training, ahead of his first full season with the ballclub, and appears to be sporting a slimmed-down frame.
Vogelbach -- the 6-foot designated hitter, who was listed at 270 pounds a season ago -- does not know exactly how much weight he has dropped this offseason, because he wasn’t tracking it, but he offered his best guess at about 20-25 pounds.
The secret to his weight loss will not be shared besides “watching what I eat” and “working out and doing my routine,” he said from spring training, via The New York Post.
“I wasn’t really that focused on one particular thing,” he said. “Just coming in and making sure that I was in shape and ready to play from Day 1.”
Vogelbach added that he feels good and is ready for a season with heightened attention on the Mets.
“I’m ready for a season, a little different coming into a clubhouse this year where everybody’s expectations are high, and just trying to make sure that I’m ready to do my part to contribute,” he said.
And coming off a 101-win season and a big-time spending spree this offseason, the expectations and pressure are quite high. And many Mets will be looking to shed the bitter taste of an early postseason exit, including Vogelbach who went hitless with one walk and a sacrifice fly in eight times up.
This offseason the Mets picked up Vogelbach’s $1.5 million option after acquiring him in a July trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for pitcher Colin Holderman. He will look to compete for a spot as the left-handed DH option for Buck Showalter’s club in 2023.
Last season Vogelbach fared better for the Mets at the plate overall (.255/.393/.436 with a .830 OPS and 139 OPS+) in 55 games last year than he did for the Pirates (.228/.338/.430 with a .769 OPS and 116 OPS+) in 75 games. But he hit fewer home runs (6 vs. 12) and batted in fewer runners (25 vs. 34) in New York.
And part of doing Vogelbach part could mean some time in the field. Of course, while he did not make an appearance on defense last season in New York and nobody expects him to see any regular time there, Vogelbach has played over 1000 innings at first base in his big-league career and took grounders at first on Monday.
“I have played there in the big leagues quite a bit and whatever they ask me to do, I just don’t want to be blindsided by anything,” he said. “Just make sure that I prepare myself every way that I can."