Miami homecoming gives Miguel Vargas strong foundation to step up in White Sox clubhouse
MIAMI — The sheer volume of raucous cheers inside cavernous loanDepot Park this week have belied modest Miami crowd sizes and even the team receiving those ovations.
There were only 6,515 fans there to watch Miguel Vargas walk to the plate with the bases loaded in the fourth inning Monday night. But from the roar that followed the ball he cracked into the Florida night, you might’ve thought Vargas had clubbed one 402 feet into the left field bleachers at Rate Field — or to a home crowd in his native Havana.
Then again, they’re all home games down here for Vargas, the Cuban-born Miami resident who’s just as beloved by his White Sox teammates and a front office that’s looking for him to take a significant step in his development as a clubhouse leader and a key cog of their organizational rebuild.
“You're not supposed to have favorites, but as a human, as a person, he is one of my favorites,” gushed manager Will Venable, who equally adores Vargas’ versatility in the field and in the batting order. “He's just such a personable guy. He's so caring.”
Arriving on the South Side in the Michael Kopech trade just in time for the worst days of the 2024 season’s record-breaking futility, Vargas’ numbers over his first full season last year were solid, if not necessarily screaming “franchise building block.” He hit .234/.316/.401 with 16 homers and 32 doubles in 138 games.
And the 26-year-old is off to a quality start at the plate in Year 2, if the grand slam didn’t give it away. Through four games, Vargas was 4-for-13 with and two walks. He’s also been steady on defense, entering the year as the closest thing to an everyday third baseman for the perpetual lineup shuffler Venable.
Vargas got his first homer of the year while playing first base and he’s got no small ambitions wherever he lines up. Just ask him about his desire to win a Gold Glove.
“Definitely trying to be the best I can,” said Vargas, who played as a teenager for the Industriales de La Habana in the Cuban National League.
His father, Lázaro Vargas, won two Olympic gold medals with Cuba in the 1990s, adding to the interest in Miguel’s career back home. English-speaking reporters are outnumbered in the clubhouse this week by Spanish-speaking media catching up with Vargas and other Sox with local ties like catcher Edgar Quero and rookie reliever Jedixson Paez, along with the sizable Japanese press corps following Vargas’ new friend and teammate Munetaka Murakami.
Vargas took his fellow first/third baseman under his wing at spring training, and borrowed Murakami’s first base mitt on Monday.
“We've been doing a really good job, especially trusting the guy next to you, behind you, getting on base and doing the right things for winning baseball games,” Vargas said. “I think we're in the right spot right now.”
After his career-high six-RBI night — which automatically put him in an early tie as the MLB leader entering play Tuesday — Vargas caught up with dozens of relatives and friends in the stands. “They've been supporting me my entire career, and I love playing in front of them,” he said.
This stage of his career finds Vargas evolving into a team leader, Venable said. “Once you establish yourself in this league, you get a little more time under your belt, you perform a little better, your vocal leadership has the ability to grow a little more.”
Vargas’ other new teammate, Austin Hays, said he recognized that when he walked in the clubhouse.
“He’s one of those guys, he’s like a light anywhere he goes,” the veteran outfielder said. “You’ve got to have guys like that in the clubhouse… He’s definitely one of those guys that is always going to keep everybody up and keep everybody going.”
But it’s not just the charisma. “He’s got a lot of power to all sides of the field, he’s got pretty good plate discipline,” Hays said. “I think he can put up some really good numbers.”