Daniel Vogelbach is a big guy, and his New York Mets debut was flawless. After being acquired from the Pirates on Friday, he made his debut on Sunday night at designated hitter. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored en route to an 8-5 victory over the Padres.
Although the lefty’s debut couldn’t have gone any better, it wasn’t his at-bats that amazed MLB fans. He was running bases.
Vogelbach weighs 270 pounds and is 6 feet tall. He is the epitome of meat and is flawless.
Only in baseball does that frame make sense, and despite your expectations that Vogelbach would be slow due to his girth, he is not. He has amazing scoot!
In the sixth inning, Vogelbach ran after advancing to second base on a base hit. As he approached third, he received the wave home after a fantastic jump off the bag.
When Vogelbach turned for home and outran the throw to the plate, he was positively CHUGGING. The biggest apple in The Big Apple slid into home with a swift, carefree slide that rivaled Trae Turner’s, as if the sheer magnificence of his unexpected speed weren’t enough excitement for one night.
Vogelbach’s jump, his turn, and his slide were all works of beauty. In less than eight seconds, or around 33.75 pounds per second—a number I just made up—he went from second to home.
