White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas played a major role in the club’s turnaround this season. The former top prospect and the newcomer Munetaka Murakamifueled an offense that ranked fifth during the regular season. Vargas set career highs in virtually every offensive category.
The decisive season almost did not take place. Vargas told MLB.com’s Scott Merkin this week that he plans to leave baseball after the 2024 campaign. It’s a topic he addressed earlier this season, but he expanded on it in the recent interview with MLB.com.
“I got to the last few weeks of that year, I’m sitting down with my dad and actually… it wasn’t the first time we talked about not playing.“, Vargas said. “It’s just a hard time.”
Vargas was traded from the Dodgers to the White Sox at the 2024 trade deadline. He never found his place in Los Angeles. Vargas hit just .104 in 42 games with Chicago to close out the year. He compiled 237 plate appearances for a brutal 47 wRC+ between the two teams.
“It was so easy to stop playing, but I don’t have an answer to what I wanted to do“, Vargas said. “That’s what I’ve done all my life. I don’t know how to do anything else. So, I think that was the scary part. That’s what I’ve done all my life. This is what I want to continue doing.”
The 2025 season was a step forward. Vargas first notched a respectable .717 OPS as an everyday player. He took a big step forward this year, launching 33 home runs and driving in 106. Vargas ranked 16th among all qualified hitters with a 134 wRC+. He even discovered 22 stolen bases.
Vargas has been a base machine in the postseason, with a whopping .464 OBP in six games, thanks in large part to nine walks. He hit his first home run of the postseason on Thursday in Game 4 of the ALDS.
Here are some other articles from across the division…
- THE Tigers made several personnel changes this week, according to Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group. Head athletic trainer Ryne Eubanks and assistant coach Chris McDonald will not be back next season. The club also parted ways with director of minor league operations Peter Bransfield, outfield and baserunning coordinator Arnie Beyeler and mental performance coordinator Aaron Lewis.
- THE Royals received a positive legislative update on its new ballpark. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas announced that the City Council has approved funding for a stadium at the Crown Center, a shopping complex near downtown Kansas City. Lucas added in a statement that the legislation will pave the way for a “transformational baseball-centered district that meets the expectations of residents, workers and neighborhoods.“The Royals have played at Kauffman Stadium since 1973.
Photo courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images
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