Since the White Sox acquired him at the end of July, Miguel Vargas has been worse than Martín Maldonado offensively. That is not a typo. Following the team’s 100th loss of the season on Sunday, Vargas’ stats with the White Sox sit at an anemic .097 batting average and .370 OPS. For reference, Maldonado was hitting .119 with a .403 OPS when he was designated for assignment in mid-July. It is one thing for a player to struggle, but Vargas has been awful in his stint with the White Sox. His struggles are becoming a significant problem with no clear fix.
There are several concerning trends with Vargas. The first is his average exit velocity, which has decreased from 89.7 MPH in his 2022 rookie season to 85.7 MPH this season. His hardhit% has also fallen off a cliff, from 40.0% in 2022 to 26.8% this season. When the White Sox acquired Vargas, the hope was that he would settle in and improve by getting everyday at-bats at the MLB level. He was not getting consistent playing time with the Dodgers, but the awful season the White Sox are having gave Vargas a golden opportunity to prove himself as an everyday MLB regular. He has done nothing with that chance so far.
The most interesting aspect of Vargas’ struggles is his inability to hit fastballs. He is hitting just .186 against fastballs this season and is whiffing almost 28% of the time against four-seamers. He was the 11th worst qualified hitter against four-seam fastballs by batting average in 2023, and while he has improved somewhat in that category, he is still well below MLB average against that pitch. It is a concerning development and something he must address moving forward. Pitchers will continue to pound Vargas with fastballs until he proves he can hit them.
While Vargas has been awful, his situation is more complex than what is happening solely on the field. He went from one of the best teams in baseball to one of the worst in the blink of an eye. There have been numerous examples of him looking almost dumbfounded in the White Sox dugout, wondering how he got into his current situation. Even former Dodger teammates feel bad for him. Switching teams does not relieve him from criticism entirely, but a change in scenery and pressure to perform could explain why Vargas has been so bad in Chicago. That is the reality of professional sports though, and he must be better moving forward.
Miguel Vargas was the most notable player the White Sox acquired at this past trade deadline. The White Sox used one of their best trade chips in Erick Fedde to acquire him, so clearly the organization thought highly of him. Vargas has not rewarded them so far. It is still early and he has time to turn it around. Perhaps a fresh start next season is what he needs. But he will have to show signs of life here soon or else his future in Chicago becomes more murky by the day.
