We picked up Daniel Vogelbach after the Mariners had DFA'd him. He pinch hit, started a game, and then he was gone. DFA'd by the Blue Jays, he now finds himself a Milwaukee Brewer, his tenure as a Buffalo Blue Jay the briefest of brief. In honor of this, let us take a trip down memory lane and recall (if we can) a few others whose Blue Jay tenures were of the 'here today, gone tomorrow' variety. The list includes a Hall of Famer, a Toronto sports personality, and an important figure in the early days of the Upper Deck card company. Enjoy!
Note: stats quoted are from Baseball Reference.
1 - Phil Roof
A backup catcher from Paducah, KY, Roof played all of three games for the 1977 Blue Jays towards the end of his career. He went hitless in five at-bats and was out of baseball by the end of that year. He also played for the Braves, A's, and Twins in that order and hit .215 for his career spanning 1961-1977.
2 - Mike Darr
Another of the original Blue Jays, Mike Darr had a grand total of one major league appearance which came with the 1977 Toronto outfit. He went an inning and a third with 5ER allowed on 3H and 4BB.
3 - Steve Hargan
The last of the 1977 Jays on the list, the Fort Wayne native pitched 6 games (5 starts) for a total of 29.1IP and a 5.22ERA. He was then shipped to Texas in the trade that brought Roy Howell to Toronto. He retired at the end of that season with an 87-107 record, a 10.5WAR and a respectable 3.92ERA having spent the bulk of his career in Cleveland.
4 - Butch Alberts
He came to the 1978 Blue Jays from the home of Little League ball in Williamsport, PA and spent his 6 game big league career here. He went 5 for 18 and scored one run. He went on to play pro ball in Mexico afterwards.
5 - Brian Milner
Both his debut and his swan song in the major leagues came with the 1978 Blue Jays as an 18 year old catcher. He went a solid 4 for 9 at the plate across 2 games with a triple and 3 runs scored. However, that would prove to be it for him.
6 - Nino Espinosa
The Dominican had three straight 10+ win seasons from 1977 to 1979. He started to slip in 1980 but picked up a championship ring with the Phillies that year. He began 1981 in Philadelphia also before being picked up by Toronto for what turned out to be one appearance that same year. He gave up a run on four hits across one inning to cap off a career where he went 44-55 with a 4.17ERA.
7 - Mike Morgan
One of the best traveled men in the history of the game, Morgan suited up for more teams than any other major leaguer. For a brief stint in 1983, he made a stop up north. He made 4 starts and 12 relief appearances to the tune of 5.16ERA and an 0-3 record. He would go on to make further travels ending his career in 2002 (after debuting as an 18 year old in 1978) with Arizona where he picked up a ring with the 2001 World Series champions. He went 141-186 for his career with a 4.23ERA and 26.2WAR.
8 - Phil Niekro
This is not a typo. The Hall of Famer and native of Blaine, OH really was a Blue Jay in 1987 for all of 3 appearances as a 48 year old. He went 0-2 with an 8.25ERA across 12 innings before being sent to the team he is most identified with, the Braves for one final pitching appearance before retiring and claiming his rightful place in Cooperstown. (Class of 1997) His career line is a sterling 318-274 with a 3.35ERA and 95.9WAR in a career spanning from 1964-1987.
9 - DeWayne Buice
Better known for his role in the birth of the Upper Deck sports card company than for his pitching exploits, Buice got one win in 7 appearances for the playoff bound 1989 Blue Jays. (5.82ERA, 17IP) 1989 was his last year in the bigs. The California native's contribution to the sports card industry was to be the photo subject for the first prototype card Upper Deck prepared. He later fell out with Upper Deck and a lawsuit was settled out of court. More on this in the book Card Sharks by Pete Williams.
10 - Mike Maksudian
Three games and three hitless at-bats should not make you a cult hero on a World Series championship team. Yet, Mike Maksudian was exactly that for the 1992 Blue Jays. The bug eater from Belleville, IL made his name in Toronto one plate of creepy crawlers at a time rather than one hit at a time. He made bug eating cool years before Fear Factor was a thing. He went 9-41 in a brief MLB career spanning from 1992-94 and running through Toronto, Minnesota and Chicago. (the Cubs)
11 - Dave Righetti
The author of a no-hitter in 1983 and successful closer is best associated with the Yankees, but for a brief stint in 1994, Dave Righetti was a Blue Jay. A member of bullpen carousel as the club fell from grace, the veteran made 13 appearances to a 6.75ERA and finished 6 games. He moved on to the White Sox to retire the following year. He finished with 252 saves and a 21.3WAR and went on to become a successful pitching coach.
12 - Tony Phillips
One of the most underrated players of the 1980's and a member of the Oakland dynasty of the late 8, Atlanta's Tony Phillips was a Blue Jay for 13 games and 48AB in 1998 as his career wound down. He was rather good in the short stint with 9BB against only 6SO and 9R. He also hit .364 and had 7RBI in his 13 games here. He then played for the Mets and A's to end his career that saw him exceed 2000 hits and post a 50.9WAR across 18 seasons.
13 - Simon Pond
The native of North Vamcouver, BC had a brief major league career consisting of a one year, 16 game stint with Canada's team in 2004. He hit .163 with 1HR and 6RBI and unfortunately never returned to the big leagues. He did play in high minor league affiliates for Boston and Baltimore after 2004.
14 - Kevin Barker
The native of Bristol, VA is a common sight on Rogers Sportsnet and often appears on the Fan 590 radio here in Toronto. In a past life, he also played big league ball. His career included a 12 game stint with the Blue Jays in 2006. He went 4 for 17 (.235BA) with a solo home run for his only RBI as a Blue Jay. Today is a co-host of Baseball Central and is married to fellow Sportsnet personality Hazel Mae.
15. Chien Ming Wang
The most famous Taiwanese pitcher had been a star winning 19 games in both 2006 and 2007. By the time his 6 game stint in Toronto rolled around in 2013, injuries had reduced him to a shadow of his former glory. He went 1-2 and pitched to a 7.67ERA and was soon out of baseball. He remains the only Taiwanese Blue Jay and retired with a 68-34 record in the majors and was a part of the 2009 Yankees championship team though he did not feature in the post-season.
16 - Daniel Vogelbach
The inspiration for this article was an all-star in 2019 and finished that season with 30HR and 76RBI. He did however bat just .208 for the season and when he struggled to make contact, the Mariners, his team from his debut in 2016 up to now, DFA'd him. The Blue Jays picked him up for what turned out to be one start and a pinch hitting appearance. He was DFA'd a few days ago and at the time of writing has been picked up by the Milwaukee Brewers.
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