For Vogelbach, It’s A Case Of Mistaken Identity

CHICAGO—Triple-A Iowa first baseman Dan Vogelbach and big league left fielder Kyle Schwarber heard the jokes all spring.

How were others supposed to tell the difference between the 23-year-old lefthanded hitters, both of whom are shaped like 6-foot boulders with tufts of blonde chin hair?

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And the fact they were roommates during Vogelbach’s first big league camp means they spent an especially large amount of time in the vicinity of each other, creating mistaken-identity moments almost daily.

“People do it all time,” said Vogelbach, 23. “I’m used to it. I could have a lot worse comparisons. To be compared to a guy like (Schwarber) is an honor to me.”

Vogelbach talks about Schwarber’s approach and character as much as his baseball ability. The Cubs see similar intangibles in Vogelbach, the 2011 second-rounder from a Fort Myers, Fla., high school who joined the 40-man roster in November.

The trick for Vogelbach will be keeping the comparisons alive this year as he completes his first Triple-A season. But if he reaches Chicago, he won’t see Schwarber, who sustained a season-ending knee injury on April 7.

Like Schwarber, Vogelbach is cut off from first base in Chicago by Anthony Rizzo, who is signed through 2021.

“Obviously, Rizzo’s the first baseman . . . and that’s not going to change,” Vogelbach said. “I just go out every day and I play hard. For me to be in the big leagues I have to perform.”

Vogelbach, who is healthy this season after missing nine weeks at Double-A Tennessee last year, was off to a 14-for-34 (.412) start at Iowa that included a homer, three doubles and 11 RBIs through 10 games.

“I’m going to play hard and perform,” Vogelbach said, “and wherever the chips fall, that’s where it’s going to happen.”

CUBBYHOLE

• Iowa righthander Pierce Johnson, the first pitcher drafted by the Cubs under Theo Epstein, is on the disabled list again. He was hit on his right forearm by a comebacker in his first start of 2016. It’s the fourth DL stint in the past three seasons for Johnson, a sandwich pick in 2012, but he’s expected to miss just one start.

• Righthander Duane Underwood, the Cubs’ top pitching prospect, still has not appeared in a game after being held out all spring because of elbow stiffness, but is expected to make his first start by early May. He spent two months on the DL last summer with elbow inflammation.