Miguel Vargas is among the several young players and prospects who will be provided an opportunity to assume a significant role for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, and he has already begun working out with the newly acquired Miguel Rojas.
Vargas, along with fellow Dodgers prospect Diego Cartaya, reached out to Rojas after he was traded to the team. Vargas recently fielded grounders with the veteran shortstop, who is regarded for his strong defense.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently revealed that Vargas will likely play second base. While up with the Dodgers last season, the 23-year-old only made starts at first base, third base, left field and designated hitter, but regularly worked at second base with coaches prior to games.
With the start of 2023 Spring Training less than two weeks away, Vargas is also focused on improving as a hitter. In a video originally posted by a coach who conducted a camp with him providing instruction, Vargas can be seen taking batting practice with J.D. Martinez.
Now Miguel Vargas did some hitting with J.D. Martinez.https://t.co/n3dCwbKrvA pic.twitter.com/90wFR9FQTB
— Matthew Moreno (@MMoreno1015) February 3, 2023
Vargas enjoyed an impressive MLB debut against the San Francisco Giants but went just 8-for-47 in 18 big league games last year. He hit .304/.402/.511 with 17 home runs, 82 RBI, 99 runs scored and 16 stolen bases in 112 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
As for Martinez, he is expected to be the Dodgers’ primary designated hitter this season. The 35-year-old experienced some regression last year but earned a second consecutive and fifth overall All-Star Game selection, batting .274/.341/.448 with 43 doubles, 16 home runs and 62 RBI in 139 games.
Miguel Vargas received votes for 2023 NL Rookie of the Year
Vargas and Bobby Miller were among the prospects who received votes for 2023 National League Rookie of the Year in a poll conducted by MLB Pipeline. Those surveyed include general managers, farm directors, scouting directors and analytics specialists.
