Since being dealt at the 2024 trade deadline by the Los Angeles Dodgers and landing with the Chicago White Sox, Miguel Vargas has been a disappointment.
Vargas was a former top prospect of the Los Angeles Dodgers that was known mostly for his bat. Back in 2023, Vargas was the No. 3 prospect in the Dodgers organization and the No. 37 prospect in all of baseball.
MLB.com described Vargas in 2023 as “an extremely advanced hitter with elite bat-to-ball skills and a good understanding of his right-handed swing and what he's trying to do at the plate.”
“[Vargas] controls the strike zone, uses the entire field, and handles fastballs and breaking balls with ease," reads his prospect write-up.
That’s the player that White Sox fans and GM Chris Getz hoped they were landing when they acquired Vargas as the headlining return of a trade that included Michael Kopech, Erick Fedde, and Tommy Pham last July.
For the longest time, the baseball world believed Vargas just needed an opportunity to get regular at-bats. The White Sox could give him that. Before being traded in 2024, Vargas had three home runs and an OPS of .735 in 80 plate appearances for LA.
Vargas has struggled with the White Sox
After being acquired by Chicago, Vargas’ OPS was an abysmal .387 for the remainder of 2024. He walked at a good rate, but had just six hits in the entire month of September.
When Vargas reported to spring training in 2025 with extra muscle, he seemed poised to put it all together….And then 20 games into the season, Vargas was slashing .139/.235/.194/.429 with zero home runs.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. And the White Sox called upon a desperate measure when they decided to have Vargas make a mid-season swing change.
Vargas made a change to his swing mechanics, raising his hands to even out his bat path and cover more of the strike zone with the barrel.
Sudden surge
It’s a minor adjustment that seems to have made a major difference. Vargas is now on an eight-game hitting streak and is getting into the power he flashed as a prospect. Over his last eight games, Vargas is slashing .448/.515/.690/1.205 with a pair of home runs, six RBIs, and four walks.
Vargas has always had an above-average understanding of the strike zone. He’s a selective hitter that gets deep into at-bats. But now he’s swinging with authority and punishing mistakes by opposing pitchers.
If the trend continues, he’ll be a legitimate asset for the White Sox to build around in the future and could lock up a 3B/DH for years to come. Maybe that White Sox-Dodgers won't be so lopsided after all.