Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Miguel Vargas has made waves in the Minors over the past few seasons and seen his profile skyrocket.
The Dodgers’ long-standing core includes Justin Turner, who is in the latter stage of his career. Vargas has continued to develop as a potential replacement at third base since signing with the Dodgers as an international free agent out of Cuba on Sept. 7, 2017.
Despite being just 22 years old, Vargas has demonstrated his talent and potential on both sides of the ball at every level of the Minors. And now he may not need to wait long for an opportunity to make an impact with the Dodgers.
According to Rowan Kavner of Dodger Insider, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts considers Vargas among the prospects who could make his MLB debut during the 2022 season
Roberts said it’s possible prospect Miguel Vargas, who doubled and walked in three plate appearances Monday, makes his big league debut at some point this year: “He’s been very good at controlling what he can control, and that’s continuing to get strength and work on some things with the hips to allow him to stay low to the ground defensively, which he’s cleaned a lot of things up. We’ve got a long way to go, but he’s a guy we certainly have eyes on every day.”
Vargas made the jump from Low-A Rancho Cucamonga to Double-A Tulsa in 2021 without missing much of a beat. He finished the season with 23 home runs and 11 stolen bases across 120 games, along with a 142 wRC+.
Vargas’ defensive improvements at third base have been raved about in recent months as he looks to make himself a more complete player and vie for a roster spot in the near future.
Roberts already considering Vargas for his MLB debut this year certainly bodes well. Without yet spending any time at Triple-A Oklahoma City, Vargas appears to be as polished as any prospect in the Dodgers’ farm system.
Though, soon after Roberts’ praise, Vargas was among the players sent to Minor League camp.
Vargas ranked highest in Dodgers farm system projections by ZiPS
The ZiPS projection system is one of the most reputable in the industry and Miguel Vargas was recently ranked as the best prospect in the Dodgers’ system for the 2022 season according to it. ZiPS typically favors players who are multi-dimensional hitters as opposed to just power hitters or contact hitters.
Vargas has demonstrated excellent power in the Minors to this point and has pieced together a .350 OBP or higher at every level outside of a short 23-game stint for Low-A Great Lakes when he was 18 years old. He continues to get better as he ages and it has been impressive to watch, especially considering he was held out of an entire developmental season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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