Daniel Vogelbach is part of a Brewers staff that is two wins away from a World Series title, with Milwaukee taking a 2-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.
For Vogelbach, the run adds a new layer to a baseball path that has gone from player to coach. The 33-year-old was selected in the second round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs, was traded to the Seattle Mariners in 2016 and made his MLB debut in Seattle. His best season came in 2019, when he hit 30 homers and drove in 76 RBIs for the Mariners.
That peak was followed by a steady decline in roster security. Seattle let him go in August of 2020, and he was then picked up by the Blue Jays, played two games, and later landed with Milwaukee. Vogelbach spent the rest of 2020 and 2021 with the Brewers before moving on to the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets in 2022 and then returning to the Mets in 2023.
His final season as a player came in 2024, when he played 31 games for the Blue Jays. After that, he spent 2025 on the Pirates' coaching staff before the Brewers hired him in January of 2026.
What Vogelbach's role means for Milwaukee
Vogelbach's rise to a World Series coaching role is notable because he has already had multiple stops with clubs involved in this series story. He is also a former Toronto Blue Jays player, and Toronto's 79-83 season left it last in the American League East and last in baseball, a stark contrast to Milwaukee's current position on the sport's biggest stage.
The Brewers have not only put themselves in range of a title, but also given Vogelbach a chance to win his first World Series championship in his new job. For a former player whose career included 81 homers, a 2019 breakout, and a long list of roster moves, the opportunity to coach in a World Series lead is a notable next step.
Milwaukee still has work to do, but the setup is simple now: the Brewers are up 2-0, and Vogelbach is part of the staff trying to finish the job.
