Draft and minor leagues The
Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected Vogt in the 12th round of the
2007 Major League Baseball draft, He spent the first few years of his minor league career in the
Class A divisions of the Rays organization, In 2008, Vogt played for the
Columbus Catfish of the
South Atlantic League, where he hit .383 in 42 games from June 27 to August 22, with 31 RBIs and a .427 on-base percentage. By the end of the season, he had a .291 batting average, but appeared in only 10 games before seriously injuring his shoulder. While running to home plate during a game, he slid headfirst and tore the
labrum in his left shoulder, and was unable to throw or hit for eight months after the injury, Vogt repeatedly questioned whether he should continue pursuing a baseball career, but on multiple occasions, his wife Alyssa encouraged him not to quit. despite having only 80 at-bats. which honors a minor league player who exemplifies teamwork, sportsmanship, and community involvement. Vogt was invited to take part in major league spring training for the Rays, marking his first major league invite to camp, at age 26. starting off with the
Double-A Montgomery Biscuits of the
Southern League, marking Vogt's first time playing above the Class A level. By May 19, Vogt was on an eight-game hitting streak and was batting .325, with seven homers and 33 RBIs, the third-best in the league. He also ranked second in the league in total bases, and third in slugging percentage. the second-highest of any Southern League player. Vogt played in his first Triple-A game on July 29, batting 2 for 4 against the
Gwinnett Braves, during which he was the only Durham player with more than one hit. Vogt batted .301 at Montgomery in 2011, and .290 at Durham. In total between the two teams, Vogt finished the season with a .298 batting average, was the 11th highest total in the minor leagues, playing other games as a first baseman or outfielder. Vogt was named Tampa Bay's Minor League Player of the Year for 2011. Following the season, Vogt again played winter baseball, this time at the
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. During one game while playing left field, a large firecracker was thrown behind him and he was forced to flee. The resulting explosion blew a hole in the ground and singeing his neck, resulting in a suspended game as the police were called. Due to his lack of experience at the catcher position, Vogt was initially planned to be sent back to the minor leagues, but was a last-minute addition to Tampa Bay's opening day roster, in part due to injuries to Rays players
B. J. Upton and
Sam Fuld. Vogt was 27 when he was first called up to the major leagues. He was the third catcher on the roster behind
José Molina and
José Lobatón, and the team planned to use Vogt as a pinch hitter and utility player, primarily in left field but also occasionally at first base and catcher. the previous record was 12, held by pitcher
Jeff Niemann. Vogt was sent back down to the Durham Bulls on April 20, in part because Upton had returned from his injury. Vogt was briefly recalled on May 14 due to a knee injury to
Desmond Jennings, and Vogt's major league hitless streak stretched to 17 total at-bats, extending the franchise record. He was sent down to Durham again on May 29 to make room on the Rays roster for
Hideki Matsui. Vogt initially struggled in his return to Durham, hitting .214 with one home run and 8 RBIs in 19 games through May 13. But his numbers soon improved, including a season-high hitting streak of eight games May 31 to June 7. Vogt recorded a .364 batting average for the month of June, and was named Tampa Bay's top minor league player of the month. Vogt also had a 27-game on-base streak from May 31 to June 30, and then another on-base streak of 12 games from July 13 to 25. and collected his 300th career minor league RBI with a single on August 24 against the
Norfolk Tides. Vogt finished the 2012 Durham Bulls season with a .272 batting average, 43 RBIs, as well as games at other positions like first base. in nearly 1,900 at-bats. He played in his first major league game at the catcher position on September 23 against the
Toronto Blue Jays. Vogt recorded zero hits in 25 total at-bats for the Rays in 2012, making him the first
American League position player, and one of four players overall, to go hitless for the season with at least 25 at-bats. Across three separate stints with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012, Vogt played in 18 games, as an outfielder, catcher, and first baseman. he and his family were driving to Durham in anticipation of Vogt playing for the Bulls when he was called with the news. he was traded for cash to the
Oakland Athletics, who bought his contract for $150,000. Oakland assigned Vogt to the Triple-A
Sacramento River Cats of the
Pacific Coast League, where Vogt debuted on April 7, going 3 for 4 in hits including a home run and two doubles. He embarked on a 13-game hit streak, which was a team-high, Through April 20, Vogt led the Pacific Coast League in hitting (.529), on-base percentage (.579) and slugging percentage (1.000), and he had multiple hits in 10 of his first 14 games with Sacramento. By April 28, Vogt had a league-leading batting average of .457, as well as five home runs and 18 RBIs. Unlike the previous season, Vogt was an everyday catcher for the River Cats, starting in the position six out of every seven games, Vogt was called up to the Oakland A's on June 25. The team was in need of backup because catcher
John Jaso suffered an abrasion on his hand, and
Derek Norris, also a catcher, was in a hitting slump. At the time of his recall, Vogt was hitting .324 in 58 games with the River Cats, with 13 home runs and 58 RBI, and having thrown out 19 of 47 (40.4%) base-stealers, the third-best ratio in the Pacific Coast League. In his debut game with Oakland on June 25, Vogt failed to get a hit but did record his first major league RBI, when a
fly ball was caught for an out was deep enough to score
Josh Donaldson from third base. Vogt started off 0 for 7 in hits for the A's, extending his hitless streak to his first 32 at-bats. though he only struck out twice over that span. Vogt got his first hit in the major leagues in his third game with Oakland, a home run off a pitch from
Joe Kelly of the
St. Louis Cardinals, breaking Vogt's 0 for 32 hitless streak. and Vogt recorded 2 hits in 13 at-bats. Through July 22, Vogt was batting .325 with 12 home runs and 57 RBI in Sacramento, having played a career-high 71 games as catcher. Vogt was called back up to Oakland again on July 25 after Jaso was placed on the disabled list due to a concussion. Jaso did not return for the season, leaving Vogt the sole left-handed-hitting catcher on the roster, sharing playing time with right-handed Derek Norris and
Kurt Suzuki. Vogt hit his first career major league triple on August 31 in a 2–1 win over his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays. In the month of August, Vogt batted .328 over 56 at-bats. He finished September hitting 4 for 26 in his final 10 regular season games in September. Vogt started in all five games of the
2013 American League Division Series, Vogt led the Athletics to a win in Game 2 of the ALDS with a bases-loaded walk-off single in the ninth inning, It was Vogt's first career game-winning hit in the major leagues, and the first walk-off RBI in Major League Baseball postseason history by a rookie catcher.
2014 Vogt posted strong numbers during the 2014 spring training, with a .357 batting average through March 25, as well as three home runs and 12 RBIs, both of which were tied for the team lead. However, he did not make the opening day roster, as the presence of Jaso and Norris meant the team did not need another catcher. Melvin called the decision one of the hardest cuts he ever had to make. Vogt returned to the Sacramento River Cats, On April 8, Vogt suffered a strained oblique muscle and missed several weeks; he was re-activated on May 12, after missing 30 games. Vogt had a 10-game hitting streak through May 28, over which he had seven multi-hit games. Vogt was recalled to Oakland on June 1, after having hit .364 in Sacramento in 2014, with three home runs and 19 RBIs in 21 games. On June 22, Vogt made his first career appearance at first base in the major leagues when he was moved to the position in the top of the ninth inning against the
Boston Red Sox. Vogt started 13 games in right field in 2014, with the Athletics even selling T-shirts and merchandise with the catchphrase in team stores throughout
O.co Coliseum. After suffering a bad bone bruise on his right foot, Vogt was unable to play in the catcher position in any games after July 7. As of that date, Vogt had appeared in 31 games for the Athletics, with a hit in 24 of them. He had a career-best 12-game hitting streak from June 30 to July 12, which included six multi-hit games. appearing in a variety of positions including catcher, outfield, and first base. after which he had five hits in four games. After already having played with a right foot injury for about two months, Vogt sprained his left ankle during a September 3 game when he slid into second base, breaking up a double play. Vogt was out from September 3 to 17, and was limited to first base upon his return. By September 20, Vogt was leading the team in batting average with .298. 35 RBIs, to repair a ruptured plantar plate, which took about five months to heal.
2015 With Oakland trading John Jaso and Derek Norris during the offseason, Vogt became the starting catcher for the Athletics heading into 2015. The team traded for catcher
Josh Phegley, During the offseason, Vogt made an adjustment to his hitting approach at the direction of hitting coach
Darren Bush, placing a greater emphasis on making low, hard contact; On April 17, Vogt hit two home runs against the
Kansas City Royals, his first multi-homer game. In the first 20 games of the season through April 26, Vogt had started 15 games at catcher and was hitting .345 with a team-leading four home runs, 14 RBIs, and an on-base percentage of .426. Vogt was ranked in the top eight in the American League in batting average, RBIs, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, and led all major league catchers in those categories as well as home runs. as well as four RBIs. He hit his first career
grand slam on May 4 against
Minnesota Twins pitcher
Phil Hughes, which also marked his third home run in three consecutive at-bats. Through May 13, Vogt was leading the American League in RBIs (30), was ranked second in OPS (1.098), On May 31, Vogt reached a new career-high in RBIs, when he drove in all three runs in a 3–0 win against the New York Yankees, bringing his career total to 38. On June 15, Vogt hit his second career grand slam against
San Diego Padres pitcher
Cory Mazzoni. Entering June 20, Vogt ranked among the American League leaders in several major categories, including RBIs (second) and on-base-plus-slugging percentage (seventh). Among A.L. catchers, Vogt ranked first in home runs (13), RBIs (50), walks (36) and OPS (.918). On July 7, Vogt finished third in American League
All-Star voting results, behind Toronto's
Russell Martin and Kansas City's
Salvador Pérez. On July 12, Vogt hit his 14th home run of the season, surpassing his major league career total in all previous seasons combined, and he finished the first half of the season with a 56 RBIs and a
slash line of .287/.374/.498. Vogt was selected for the
2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, marking his first All-Star appearance. Vogt and Oakland pitcher
Sonny Gray were the only starting pitcher-catcher combination from one team to make the year's American-League All-Star squad. Vogt had one at-bat during the All-Star game, during which he struck out in the sixth inning. Vogt had his jersey from the game framed and gifted it to Azusa Pacific, where it was displayed in their locker room. On July 18, Vogt hit a walk-off single against the Minnesota Twins, the second walk-off hit of his career, and his first in regular season play. Vogt recorded 0 hits on 28 at-bats between July 22 and August 3, the second-worst streak of his career, and the worst since his 0-for-32 skid when he debuted in the majors. In August, Vogt was batting .284, with four home runs and nine RBIs, which continued a decline compared to the first half of the season, although he had a .344 on-base percentage for the month due to eight hits and a walk in his final 15 plate trips. He hit his final home run of the season and second consecutive three-hit game the next day, also against the Diamondbacks. In a September 6 game against the
Seattle Mariners, Vogt was injured after getting struck in the groin by a
foul ball traveling 93 miles per hour, which was hit by
Ketel Marte, resulting in Vogt missing 12 games before returning on September 20. For the second half of the season, Vogt has a slash line of .217/.280/.349. finishing with a .261 batting average, as well a career-high 18 home runs and 71 RBIs, which was more than twice the 35 RBIs he had the previous season. Vogt had the second-highest RBIs on the Oakland roster, behind outfielder
Josh Reddicks 77. The Athletics finished with the season with the worst record in the American League at 68–94; Vogt said the team's struggles "got to me mentally" and that he had to improve his mental toughness. and for the second consecutive year received the Catfish Hunter Award. He also received the 2015 Athletics Good Guy Award from the local Bay Area chapter of the
Baseball Writers' Association of America, was Oakland's nominee for the
Roberto Clemente Award, and was nominated for the 2015
Hutch Award.
2016 Vogt earned a salary of $527,500 for 2016. to address lingering pain he had been experiencing since the winter. The surgery removed a bone chip and dead tissue from his elbow joint. Vogt hit .273 in his first 10 games of the season through April 13. Vogt had 11 hits in 26-at bats through April 22, during which he had three hits in one game. Vogt had only 7 RBI on the season through May 21, but he had five FBI on May 22 and 23 alone, as well as a home run and a double in those two games. He also recorded at least one hit for 11 consecutive games from May 22 to June 5, with 17 total hits in that span, going 15 for 42 and batting .357 during that stretch, bringing his to get his batting average for the season up to .264. Through the first half of the season, Vogt had a slash line was .277/.320/.442 in 72 games, with seven home runs, and 27 RBIs. catchers' numbers in general were down across the league, He was Oakland's sole All-Star representative for 2016, and he was the first Athletics non-pitcher named to consecutive All-Star teams since
Jason Giambi in
2000 and
2001. as Salvador Pérez and
Matt Wieters were the only American League catchers who played. He hit his 14h home run of the season during his final at-bat of 2016 in October 2 game against the Seattle Mariners. Vogt finished the season with a .251 batting average, 14 home runs, and 56 RBIs, and won the Dave Stewart Community Service Award for a second year in a row, making him the first two-time winner.
2017 Vogt signed a contract for $2,965,000 on January 13, 2017. With the addition of catcher
Bruce Maxwell to the Oakland roster, Bob Melvin planned to reduce the number of games Vogt would play behind the plate, giving Vogt more time off and reducing the chance of injuries. Vogt hit a solo home run in the April 3 season opener against the Los Angeles Angels. On April 28, Vogt threw out
Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros on a steal attempt, his first time successfully throwing out a runner in 14 consecutive opposing runs dating back to 2016. The game also marked the first two-error game of Vogt's career, with two
interference calls against him. In 54 games for Oakland in 2017, Vogt had a slash line of .217/.287/.357 batting line, in 157 at-bats. His defensive performance had declined compared to previous years, throwing out only 15% of runners, On June 22, Oafkland designated Vogt for assignment. He was the second-longest-tenured Athletic at the time he was cut. In his combined time with Oakland and the Tampa Bay Rays over six seasons, had a career .251/.312/.409 slash line. There was a great deal of disappointment on the Oakland roster after Vogt was cut; pitcher
Sean Doolittle called him "the unquestioned captain of the team", and Josh Reddick said it was "hard to imagine a clubhouse without him". where he was planned to play in a timeshare with catcher
Manny Piña. Through his first 12 games for Milwaukee, he was hitting .250 with four home runs and nine RBIs, which combined with his 2007 games in Oakland brought his numbers to a .222 batting average, eight home runs, and 29 RBIs. Vogt's left leg bent backwards during the collision, and he suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee, forcing him to miss about a month. Vogt had a rehabilitation assignment with Milwaukee's Triple-A affiliate
Colorado Springs Sky Sox in August before rejoining the Brewers. He returned to the team on August 18, where he played wearing a protective brace on his knee and doubled in his only at-bat. On September 29, Vogt had a home run and three RBIs in a 5–3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals that helped keep Milwaukee's playoff hopes alive. Vogt's game on September 30 would be his last in the major leagues for more than a year. Vogt also had eight home runs, 20 RBIs, and a .285
on-base percentage, his lowest since his major league debut season in 2012. Vogt threw out just three of 66 runners in stolen base attempts in total during his time in Oakland and Milwaukee in 2017,
2018 The Brewers re-signed Vogt in 2018, again planning for him to split time with Piña. Vogt agreed to a one-year non-guaranteed contract of $3,065,000, which he signed to avoid salary arbitration and a possible non-tender. He hurt his right shoulder during a spring training workout, and when the discomfort lingered, it was later discovered to be a strained capsule. when he was one day away from returning to the Brewers, while trying to throw out Cade Gotta of the
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp during a stolen base attempt. Vogt damaged his rotator cuff, labrum, and capsule, which required season-ending surgery. The surgery took place on May 17. Though Vogt never played a major league game in 2018, in what Vogt described his as a "weird hybrid of player-coach". and departed from the Brewers after clearing waivers. which was attended by five teams, including the
San Francisco Giants. Vogt said: "It's been a lifelong dream of mine to play for the Giants. It's going to come true this year." This marked Vogt's third tour with the
Sacramento River Cats (which had been Oakland's
Triple-A affiliate until 2015), and his first since 2014. Vogt was called up to San Francisco on May 1, making his return to the major leagues less than a year after his shoulder surgery. On May 3, Vogt appeared in his first major league game since the shoulder injury, in which he pinch hit against the
Cincinnati Reds. He recorded three hits, two RBIs, and a game-tying home run, marking his first three-hit game since September 26, 2017, and his first major league home run since September 29, 2017. He hit two triples against the Brewers on June 15, his only triples of the season. He was the first Giants catcher to record two triples in one game since
Steve Nicosia in 1984, and just the third catcher from any team to do so in the previous eight years; it also marked the first two-triple game from any Giants player in three years. In his first 53 games of the season through July 22, Vogt had a .262 batting average, his highest since 2014, as well as career-highs in OPS (.844) and slugging percentage (.508). On August 9, Vogt hit a two-run home run 423 feet out of Oracle Park into
McCovey Cove, the 79th "splash hit" by a Giant in the history of the park; he was the first Giant to hit one since
Brandon Belt on May 15, 2018. Vogt hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning in a game against the Oakland A's on August 24, his first game played at
Oakland Coliseum since leaving the team. By the end of August, Vogt was considered a front-runner for the
Willie Mac Award, which is presented annually to the most inspirational player on the Giants. Late in the season, with Posey still struggling, Vogt was called to play more often than originally planned, with his backup position turning into more of a timeshare. On September 17, Vogt caught all 294 pitches thrown in a 5-hour 54-minute game that lasted 15 innings against the Boston Red Sox, during which a franchise-record 13 pitchers were used. Vogt finished the season with some of his best offensive numbers of his career, posting a .263/.314/.490 slash line, with 10 home runs and 40 RBI, Vogt entered into free agency in November.
Arizona Diamondbacks (2020–2021) On November 26, 2019, Vogt signed a one-year contract with the
Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2020 for Arizona, Vogt batted .167/.247/.278 with 1 home run and 7 RBI in 72 at-bats. Vogt played in 52 games for the Diamondbacks in 2021, slashing .212/.307/.386 with 5 home runs and 17 RBI.
Atlanta Braves (2021) On July 16, 2021, Vogt was traded to the
Atlanta Braves in exchange for Mason Berne. On October 8, Vogt was designated for assignment by the Braves and outrighted to the Triple-A
Gwinnett Stripers. Despite not being on the postseason roster, he received a
World Series ring from the Braves.
Return to Oakland (2022) On March 24, 2022, Vogt signed a one-year contract to return to the
Oakland Athletics. He was placed on the injured list on April 21 after spraining his right knee. Vogt returned from the injured list on May 7. On September 22, 2022, Vogt announced he would retire at the end of the 2022 season. On October 5, Vogt hit a home run in his final major league at-bat in the final game of the season for the A's, a 3-2 victory over the
Angels. ==Coaching and managerial career==