Miguel Vargas. Alex Seder/Great Lake Loons.
Dodgers Prospect Watch: Miguel Vargas
Name: Miguel Vargas.
Vitals: Third base, first base, 6 ' 3" 205, age 20, bats right, throws right. From La Habana, Cuba.
Highest level of play: 2019 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.
Baseball America 2020 ranking: 21st among Dodgers prospects.
Baseball America scouting report (subscription required): "...has supreme hand-eye coordination … makes a conscious effort to drive the ball the other way with an inside-out swing … slow mover at third base with limited lateral range and an average arm, so most believe his future is at first base."
Likely date for major league debut: 2022.
Comment: The Dodgers love players with "bloodlines" and this Vargas is the son of Cuban standout, Lazaro Vargas, who hit .300/.417/.372 from 1997 to 2002 with the Industriales de La Habana. Miguel appeared in eight games with his dad's old team at 14, hitting .115.
Vargas has two years of minor league experience under his belt. Splitting time between rookie-level Arizona, the rookie-level Odgen Raptors and the Low-A Great Lakes Loons, he hit .330/.404/.465, with two home runs and 30 RBIs in 200 at bats.
Starting the 2019 season with the Loons, Vargas hit .325/.399/.464 before being promoted to Rancho, where he more than held his own at .284/.353/.408. He's managed 53 doubles over 177 games in two seasons, but only nine homers. We'll see if as Vargas learns to pull the ball more, whether he develops into a home run threat. Should start the 2020 campaign at Rancho again, though with a fine spring he might advance to AA-Tulsa by Opening Day.
Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter.
