Chicago White Sox infielder Miguel Vargas is putting the team before himself

The Chicago White Sox have a nice cast of young players emerging on their roster, with Colson Montgomery looking to be the leader among them.

While Montgomery looks to be the next potential face of the franchise, others like Lenyn Sosa, Chase Meidroth, and even Miguel Vargas, will look to be his supporting cast in the years to come. 

Vargas in particular looks to be a supporting cast member that could be a valuable piece on a potential playoff team. Vargas, a member of the three-team trade between the White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the St. Louis Cardinals last season, has proven to be a dependable player this season after getting off to a bumpy start to his White Sox career.

Showing tremendous growth since joining the White Sox, Vargas is not one one of the better hitters in the lineup, he's one of the better leaders to have around in the clubhouse.

White Sox infielder Miguel Vargas has a “team first” mentality

Coming into the year, Vargas made some changes to his swing and lost about 20lbs in the offseason to become a better athlete.

Those changes seem to have taken hold, as through 115 games, Vargas is hitting .234/.316/.398 for an OPS and OPS+ of .714 and 98. He’s also been hot in his last nine games, hitting .333 with an OPS of .863 and four RBIs. 

Starting the year as the White Sox's third baseman, Vargas has also seen time at first base. That has been a black hole for the team this season. Based on the fielding percentage and errors, Vargas has proven to be a better first baseman (.995 with two errors) in 56 games than a third baseman (.963 with nine errors) in 65 games. 

Even based on defensive runs saved, Vargas is a better first baseman, providing a +9 DRS, rather than a -7 DRS while at third. That being said, Vargas still has the mentality of a third baseman. His goal is to continue playing third base, according to an interview with Scott Merkin of MLB.com. 

"I’m a third baseman. I love playing third base. But if the team asks me to play anywhere to help my team, then I’ll be able to. I love helping my team and being in the field with the guys," said Vargas to Merkin (Via Scott Merkin).

Vargas can be a future bench piece for the White Sox

Even though Vargas has shown some growth this season, he still has a long way to go before being one of the main guys on the team. A natural infielder, Vargas can play in the outfield, but may be a better bat off the bench than an everyday starter. 

For now, the White Sox are content with playing Montgomery at shortstop and Meidroth at second base. However, with Sosa emerging as a player who needs consistent at-bats and Montgomery having more of a third baseman’s build than a shortstop's build, Vargas could be down a couple of positions if the Sox ever shuffle things up. 

Whatever the case, Vargas has earned an opportunity to spend as much time as possible on the field. Who knows, maybe with the consistent play, he could end up being the White Sox’s first baseman of the future, if he can maintain this level of success and generate more power.