Miguel Vargas' impressive first half puts him among elite company in White Sox history

Unfortunately, what we feared has happened. We knew it would when the latest MLB All-Star voting totals were released four days ago.. Cold water has been poured on Miguel Vargas' bid to start in the Midsummer Classic next month. He would have been the first White Sox third baseman to start an All-Star Game since 1933, but he'll instead finish third at the position, and his chances of making the All-Star game at all now seem to be in doubt.

In a bid to make his case to be added to the All-Star roster after Phase 2 voting is over, I thought it would be interesting to see how Vargas' first half of the 2026 season compares to other White Sox greats at third base. In the interest of fairness, I want to publicly acknowledge the issues with comparing players of different eras. With that out of the way, the list is as follows:

- Bill Melton (1968-75): All-star in 1971. Back to back 30 home run seasons
- Robin Ventura (1989-98): 5-time Gold Glove winner. Seventh in franchise history in home runs
- Joe Crede (2000-08): Excellent defender and key piece of the 2005 World Series team
- Pete Ward (1963-69): At least ten home runs in five of his seven seasons with the White Sox
- Willie Kamm (1923-31): .370 on-base percentage is second among all White Sox third basemen

Miguel Vargas is in his fifth MLB season, so this table reflects first-half stats of these players at that point as well.

Vargas matches up fairly well against these other White Sox greats, ranking first in runs, home runs, stolen bases, and OPS and RBIs. Unfortunately, Ward's and Melton's stats are significantly deflated due to off-field injuries that befell them in the previous year. Melton fell off his roof in 1971, while Ward suffered from a recurring neck injury after he was in car accident in 1965. Both players would never be the same for the remainder of their careers.

Miguel Vargas' first half is comparable to other All-Star 3B seasons in Chicago

I then decided to see how the first-half of the first year Crede, Melton, and Ventura were named All-stars compared to Vargas' breakout year.

As the table shows, when each of these players had gone through 50% of one of their best seasons, Vargas' numbers compare favorably overall. While he does come up short in hits, doubles, and batting average, his stats are close in home runs, RBIs, and OPS. The last column really shows how valuable Vargas has been in key situations. For a player who struggles to hit for average consistently, with runners at second and/or third and two outs, Vargas has come through time after time. Of the four, only Ventura is close. He's certainly making the hits count.

This exercise shows that, no matter what the fans in Vancouver or Toronto think of him, Vargas has numbers this year so far that put him among the best to play third base on the Southside. While the first round of voting is over, White Sox fans can still help by voting against Blue Jays in Phase 2. Hopefully, when the players and Commissioner's Office reveal their additions to the All-Star roster on July 4, they will take note.

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