Calgary Hires Vogel as Hitting Coach
The Calgary Pioneers announced today that they were hiring Bryan Vogel to be the hitting coach for the Quebec Lumberjacks, their A league affiliate. Vogel, who retired in 2030, was drafted by Calgary and spent three separate stints there. A prodigious home run hitter and a Zimmer winning fielder, Vogel is most famous for his ability to strike out.
“We are really happy to announce that Bryan has agreed to work with our youngsters in Quebec. He has always been a favorite of mine and he will be a great asset to the organization. He is also another guy, like Terry Cochran, that should be in the Hall of Fame,” GM Kevin Dickson said.
Vogel was drafted in the first round by Calgary in 2010, but was traded to Hawaii in 2013 after playing only 17 games for Calgary. He was one of the top second basemen in the league for the next 13 seasons before returning to Calgary in 2027, During that time he won 3 Zimmers, a Puckett and was named to the All Star team 3 times. He spent the next 2 seasons in Calgary where he hit 51 homers past the age of 35. He left for Jacksonville in 2029 but came back to Calgary at the end of the year, hit .313, with 9 homers in 21 games at the age of 37. His OPS for Calgary in his this stretch was 1.112 and he helped the team capture a playoff birth. Vogel’s final appearance in Calgary was for 3 games in 2030.
“I am really excited to get this opportunity,” Vogel said. “I am looking forward to working with Nick and Steve and helping prepare these kids for the big leagues.”
Vogel was referring to former Calgary players Nicholas Brody, Quebec’s manager, and Steve Thomas the team’s pitcing coach.
Vogel finished his career with a batting average of .236, over 2000 hits, 426 home runs, 1247 RBIs and 2695 strikeouts. His 426 home runs, ranks in third place among BBA second basemen. It was his strikeouts that will be most remembered as he has the third most in among all batters in BBA history. Interesting enough, Calgary manager Terry Cochran is in fourth place, just 26 behind.
