Vogt was Alex Dickerson before being Alex Dickerson was cool. What makes Dickerson so appealing—other than the teehee-ness of his last name—is how he had to claw his way back from injury. He went two years without stepping onto a major league field, and when he initially got his chance with the Padres, nothing clicked. It’s easy to root for a guy when he’s hitting as well as Dickerson is, but that he got back to the field at all is incredible.
Vogt’s time away from the bigs wasn’t as long, but there was just as much doubt that he’d ever return.