Of all the remarkable stories on the 2026 Chicago White Sox, there is perhaps none more so than Miguel Vargas. His turnaround in the last two years has been symbolic of the turnaround of the team as a whole, and I’d venture to say Vargas has been the White Sox MVP this season. His breakout year could be rewarded by votes for some prestigious awards, including an outside shot at being a finalist for the AL MVP award. One such award, the Hank Aaron Award, had the finalists announced by MLB this week, and Vargas finds himself on the list.
Miguel Vargas has been named a finalist for the 2026 Hank Aaron Award, which is awarded annually to the best overall offensive performer in each league!
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) October 5, 2026
Vote for Miguel: https://t.co/hhB8jTNmk0 pic.twitter.com/EgQ7F7hucv
Vargas, 26, is a former Top 100 prospect who originally signed with the Dodgers back in 2017. Vargas always posted strong numbers in the minor leagues but struggled during his first few big league stints. He made his big league debut in 2022, playing 18 games for Los Angeles and posting just a .455 OPS. Vargas had a bigger role in 2023, hitting .195 with seven home runs in 81 games that season. After another slow start in 2024 and little opportunity, Vargas was dealt to the White Sox at the deadline in a three-team trade that sent Erick Fedde to the Cardinals and Tommy Edman to LA. In 42 games with the White Sox, he hit perhaps his lowest point as a pro, hitting just .104 with a .387 OPS. Vargas opened 2025 as the White Sox’ primary third baseman and he had a better, but uninspiring, season. Hoping to build on his better 2025, Vargas has turned 2026 into his breakout, and has emerged as a star in the big leagues.
Miguel Vargas has aligned his career resurgence with that of the White Sox
In 159 games this season, Vargas slashed .250/.363/.474 with an .837 OPS and 33 home runs, more than doubling his career-high of 16 from 2025. His 5.3 fWAR earned Vargas his first All-Star appearance, and he led the team in that department. He finished tied with Rays star Junior Caminero for first among American League third-basemen, and his impressive campaign has earned him a nomination for the Hank Aaron Award, which awards the best all-around offense performer in each league. Vargas is unlikely to win the award, as likely MVP Yordan Alvarez and MLB fWAR leader Bobby Witt Jr. are among the other finalists, but being on a list with some of baseball’s best players is a remarkable accomplishment nonetheless.
It’s hard to even fathom how far Vargas has come in the past two years. He turned from quite literally one of the worst hitters in baseball to one of the best. In the same way, the White Sox have gone from literally the worst team in the modern era to winning a playoff series in two years. Take a bow, Chris Getz. His tenure as White Sox GM has been far from perfect, and there’s still work to be done, but what the White Sox have done in 2026 is nothing short of incredible. They’ll look to keep the good vibes rolling as they head home for their first home playoff game in five years later this week. The White Sox may not have the big names or high profile talents of some of the other teams in the Postseason, but at this point, why can’t they make some noise?
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