My alphabetical-ish review of the White Sox 2025 roster —@SoxNerd style — continues with a look at MIGUEL VARGAS:
What a difference a year makes!
365 days ago, Sox Nation was questioning whether Miguel Vargas should be in the big leagues, let alone a part of the Sox future.
But after a promising 2025, Vargas is positioned to be a cornerstone as the franchise claws its way back to respectability.
To refresh, Vargas struggled mightily after he was acquired by the Sox from the Dodgers on July 29th, 2024.
In his first 64 Sox games, which is a decent sample size, Vargas hit an anemic .117 with only two homers and a pathetic .406 OPS. In addition, he was striking out 26 percent of the time.
What made this so discouraging was that 22 of those 64 games came at the start of 2025. Vargas slashed .139/.236/.203 with no homers to start 2025 making us think this is 2024 Vargas all over again.
Vargas finished up strong, hitting .252 with a .331 on-base percentage and a .438 slugging percentage over his final 116 games. In addition, Vargas hit 16 homers with 27 doubles and was successful on all five of his stolen base attempts.
While doing that, Vargas was playing third, first, DH and a little bit of left field and he hit in each of the first six spots of the order.
Here’s more on 2025 Vargas …
*Vargas was the only player to start at the same position in the White Sox 2025 Opening Day and closing day lineups (third base)
*Vargas led the 2025 Sox with 569 plate appearances, 80 runs, 32 doubles (14th in the AL), two triples (tied with Andrew Benintendi), 56 walks and six hit-by-pitches (tied with Chase Meidroth)
*His OPS was 200 points higher on the road than it was at home (.615 at home and .815 on the road)
*Vargas’ made his most starts – that’s 45 – in the cleanup spot – and hit .250 with a .330 on-base pct. and a .448 slugging percentage with nine home runs there.
*Vargas was most productive in the two spot, slashing .267/.358/.522 with three homers in 25 starts there.
*Vargas hit 11 of his 16 home runs with men on base and socked 12 of his 16 homers against teams .500 or better
*Vargas’ .455 average last season was the sixth-highest Sox output against the Cubs and his 1.600 slugging percentage at Wrigley Field was the second-highest output in Sox history behind Jose Abreu’s unreal number of 2.083 in 2020
*Vargas hit .500 (5-for-10) against the Brewers in 2025. The last Sox player to hit .500 with at least 10 at bats against the Brewers was Andrew Vaughn in 2021. The output is tied for fourth with Nyls Nyman (1975), Frank Thomas (2000), Vaughn and Greg Walker (1986) for fourth in Sox history vs. the Brewers behind Ron Blomberg’s .545 in 1978, Shawn Abner’s .538 in 1992 and Carlos Lee’s .538 in 1999.
*Vargas joined Bill Melton (14 on June 24, 1969), Yoan Moncada (12 on Sept. 8, 2022), Robin Ventura (12 on July 19, 1991) and Joe Crede (11 on June 20, 2006) as Sox third basemen to log at least 11 total bases in a game (May 16, 2025)
*Vargas’ grand slam on Aug. 28th was the first by a Sox player against the Yankees since Tim Anderson victimized Masahiro Tanaka in a 5-2 win in the Bronx on April 14, 2019. Mike Tauchman batted ninth and played left for the Yankees that night. He preceded Vargas’ slam with a strikeout.
Vargas’ slam was the first by a Sox player against the Yankees in Chicago since Aug. 21, 2012 when Kevin Youkilis took Ivan Nova deep with Alexei Ramirez, Gordon Beckham and DeWayne Wise on base in a 7-3 win before 24,247 at then-named US Cellular Field. Names in the Yankees lineup that night included Jeter, Ichiro, Swisher, Cano, Andruw Jones and Granderson.
*Vargas earned the American League’s Player of the Week Award by slashing .417/.423/1.000 with four homers and nine RBI in six games from May 12 to 18. He was the Sox first such award winner since Luis Robert Jr. won it on June 24, 2023. Vargas was the first Sox third baseman to win the award since Kevin Youkilis on July 8, 2012
*Vargas hit leadoff in the opener. He was the first Sox third baseman to do that since Don Buford in 1966
*His streak of doubles in five straight games from May 24-28 was the longest by a Sox player since Adam Dunn’s five-gamer from May 7, 2011 to May 12, 2011
The streak was the longest by a Sox righty since Magglio Ordonez’s club-record six-gamer from July 20, 2003 to July 25, 2003.
*NEXT: ANDREW VAIGHN