By Ryan Divish
The Seattle Times
Daniel Vogelbach hoped to participate in the 2019 Home Run Derby and drop a few Vogelbombs or Vogelblasts while competing for the $1 million purse for the winner. Instead the Mariners’ slugging designated hitter will have to settle for simply participating in Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Cleveland.
“I can’t go if I’m not invited,” he said last week.
And he, along with sluggers like Joey Gallo and Jorge Soler, were not invited to the baseball-bashing party.
In a 30-minute show televised on ESPN, the bracket for the eight hitters participating was announced. There was only a minimal amount of drama with six of the eight participants already known: Christian Yelich of the Brewers, Carlos Santana (Indians), Ronald Acuna (Braves), Vlad Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays), Pete Alonso (Mets) and Josh Bell (Pirates).
That left two final spots to be revealed. The Mariners held out hope that Vogelbach, who has 19 homers on the season, might get chosen. Vogelbach finished second in the Pacific Coast League home-run derby in Tacoma two seasons ago. Instead, MLB selected Alex Bregman of the Astros and Joc Pederson of the Dodgers. Both were previous derby participants.
The first-round matchups:
* Christian Yelich, Brewers (No. 1 seed) vs. Vlad Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays (No. 8 seed)
* Alex Bregman, Astros (No. 4 seed) vs. Joc Pederson, Dodgers (No. 5 seed)
* Pete Alonso, Mets (No. 2 seed) vs. Carlos Santana, Indians (No. 7 seed)
* Josh Bell, Pirates (No. 3 seed) vs. Ronald Acuna, Braves (No. 6 seed)
Draft signings
Though news of their agreements had been reported earlier, the Mariners officially announced the signing of four draft picks:
* Competitive Balance Round B: Isaiah Campbell, RHP, University of Arkansas
* 3rd round: Levi Stoudt, RHP, Lehigh
* 7th round: Adam Macko, LHP, Vauxhall, Alberta, Canada
* 9th round: Mike Salvatore, SS, Florida State
Campbell signed for $850,000, which is slightly over the pick value. Because of his heavy workload this season, which included a 12-1 record with a 2.26 ERA in 17 starts and a stellar outing in the College World Series, he isn’t scheduled to pitch this summer. He will participate in the high-performance camp and workout in Arizona.
Stoudt received a $339,000 bonus, which is below slot value. During his post-draft physical, he was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. He’s expected to undergo surgery to repair the damage.
Macko signed for $250,000 and has reported to the Mariners facility in Peoria, Ariz.
Salvatore, a senior selection, signed for $15,000. He’s already reported to Low-A West Virginia and has played in two games.
Of Seattle’s top 20 picks, only three high-school pitchers — lefty Michael Limoncelli (sixth round), right-handers Anthony Tomczak (15th), Dutch Landis (17th) — have yet to sign. The Mariners expect all three to sign at some point this summer.
Also
• Hunter Strickland (grade 2 lat strain) got back on a mound for the first time since suffering a setback on June 9. Strickland threw a handful of pitches from a mound before Wednesday’s game. He is scheduled to throw a full bullpen session Saturday.
• Infielder Shed Long, who is currently playing for Class AAA Tacoma, was placed on the minor league seven-day injured list with a sore left shoulder. Long played in Tuesday’s doubleheader, going 1 for 8. He’s expected to return after the All-Star break. Long has a .282/.346/.471 slash line with seven doubles, four triples, eight homers and 35 RBI in 51 games with the Rainiers. In 19 games with the Mariners, he slashed .232/.329/.377 with seven doubles, a homer and five RBI. He is rated as the No. 9 prospect in the Mariners organization.
