After three hours of driving and seeing a lot of nothing for the last two, I saw it in the distance. The lights twinkled, exposing an oasis to a thirsty traveler. This is how the crewmen on the Santa Maria must’ve felt when they first saw the New World. Land ho!!! As the lights got brighter and the buildings got bigger, I asked, “This is it?” I had just been Primm’d. Having crossed the California/Nevada border, I powered on in a slightly northeast direction for 40 minutes. The road veered left around a hill. Then I saw it in all its glory. Neon lights were flickering like choreographed swarms of fireflies. A black pyramid beamed a light straight towards the heavens. Before arriving at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, though, there was a lot of emptiness. Now? It’s all filled with condos, townhouses, and shopping centers. Which is akin to the career arc of one Miguel Vargas of the Chicago White Sox. He was once a highly regarded prospect, did nothing for a while, but is now producing. Let’s dig in.
Vargas is 25 years old, 6’2″, 225 pounds, and bats from the right side. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed him as an international free agent in 2017.
Early in his minor league career, his plate discipline was great, often with a double-digit walk rate and strikeout rate in the teens. The power was middling, though, with an ISO often in the low-.100s. He did steal some bases, but nothing to get too excited about.
In 2022, though, Vargas looked to be putting it all together. In 520 Triple-A plate appearances, he slashed .304/.404/.511 with a 13.7% walk rate, 14.6% strikeout rate and .208 ISO. He finished with 17 home runs, 100 runs, 82 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. He was then considered the 15th-best prospect in the Dodgers organization and a Top 50 prospect in MLB.
The following season, Vargas got his first shot in the majors, and big things were expected, as he was the Dodger’s Opening Day second baseman. He received 304 plate appearances and provided seven home runs, 36 runs, 32 RBI, and three stolen bases. The plate discipline numbers translated, as the walk rate was 12.5% and the strikeout rate was 20.1% while the ISO was a respectable .172. The slash, though, was only .195/.305/.367. Granted, the BABIP was only .224, but he was sent back to the minors.
After getting another brief stint with the Dodgers in the 2024 season, Los Angeles traded him to the White Sox. And he wasn’t good, slashing .104/.217/.170 in 157 plate appearances while producing two home runs, 11 runs, seven RBI, and two stolen bases. The walk rate was 10.8%, but the strikeout rate was 26.1%, and the ISO was .067. Once again, the BABIP was only .128, but the shine was definitely off the once highly-touted prospect.
Through 58 games and 240 plate appearances this season, Vargas has been aiiight. The slash is .243/.321/.425 with a 9.2% walk rate, 17.5% strikeout rate, and .182 ISO.
After having an average exit velocity in the 86 mph range the past few seasons, Miguel Vargas is at 90 mph this season. He’s always had a high launch angle, and that number is at 22.3 degrees. The pull rate is 42.8%, so it’s not definitely a lift-and-pull approach, but that’s decent. The 10.4% barrel rate is a career high.
The plate discipline numbers are unsurprisingly magnifique. The swinging strike rate is only 7.2%, the 28th-lowest, while the chase rate is 21%, the 17th-lowest in MLB.
Now, as Kelder wrote in the latest Corners Report, Miguel Vargas is:
Boring, yes. Eligible at first and third base, also yes. He’s the guy you pick up when your main guy gets hurt, and you do a player search, and then think “Hey, Vargas could be helpful!” so you pick him up, then become underwhelmed and drop him when your guy comes back and you’ve lost 4 points. Not terribly damaging, but the counting stats are going to be low, and he’s a league average bat.
I agree with everything that Kelder said. In addition, the White Sox offense isn’t the most prolific, and the bat speed isn’t great at 70.5 mph, 26th percentile.
That said, he is batting in the heart of the order, and he’s still only 25 years old. The plate discipline has been there throughout his professional career, and the power has finally manifested. I do think there is some upside here because he has shown that he can put together juicy seasons, albeit those were in the minors. I don’t think we should completely dismiss him because sometimes it takes time for players to get acclimated and mature.
In Las Vegas, there are places for high rollers that provide opulence. Think Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. There are places for the gambling degenerates. Think Luis Robert Jr. There are places that serve steak and eggs for $10.99 24/7. Think Adolis Garcia. Vargas isn’t Circus Circus, but maybe more Linq Promenade. He may not be a headliner on the Strip, but he provides stats that aren’t grimy or shady.
Would I drop anyone of significance for him? I would not. He’s a streamer for me right now, but I’m keeping an eye on him for sure.
Kitt Yerg, Fantasy Attorney at-Large:
Ladies and gentlemen of the fantasy jury…
We’ve all been there. You’re cruising down the fantasy freeway, fueled by hope and a 3-hour energy drink, and then it happens — you get Primm’d. You thought you were pulling into Vegas, but instead, you’re staring at a roller coaster next to a gas station casino wondering if your soul can get a refund.
Enter Miguel Vargas.
Once heralded like a golden statue rising from the Las Vegas desert, Vargas had all the prospect pedigree of a blackjack savant counting his way to millions. But then the cards turned cold. The comps stopped flowing. He got sent back to the minors like a guy wearing jorts at a high-stakes poker table.
But now? Now Vargas is putting on a collared shirt, stepping back into the pit, and saying, “Hit me.”
Here’s what we know:
Now sure, Vargas ain’t flashy. He’s not a neon-lit Mirage — he’s more like the Aria: quiet, polished, and you forget it exists until you realize you’ve lost money to it… again.
But here’s the kicker: he’s only 25. That’s barely old enough to rent a car, let alone be sentenced to permanent waiver wire purgatory.
So before you drop him for some new flavor-of-the-week infielder who’ll be batting ninth by Friday, consider this:
Vargas may not be the jackpot, but he’s not the penny slots either.
He’s the slow grind — the player who creeps into your lineup, stacks some OBP, and before you know it, you’re in 2nd place wondering how you got there.
You’ve been Primm’d before. Don’t let it happen again.
Case adjourned.
Well done