Just two days after White Sox manager Will Venable said that Miguel Vargas was viewed as the club's primary option at third base, the 25-year-old found himself on the wrong end of an 82 mph ground ball. Vargas stabbed it with his glove before watching the ball roll into left field.
It marked the second time Vargas had an issue with a ground ball on Wednesday, after a ball glanced off his glove with two outs in the second inning. The error allowed the Padres to push across the game’s first run. While it wasn’t an easy play, coming off Oscar Gonzalez's bat at 106 mph, it was a tough look for a player who became a key piece of the White Sox roster last summer.
This isn't going to play Miguel. pic.twitter.com/BbQWevjIYl
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) February 26, 2025
Spring Training results are arbitrary. But after posting showing limited range at the hot corner last season, as evident by his -2 Outs Above Average, it looks like Vargas may be better suited for first base. Venable told James Fegan of Sox Machine that Vargas is also getting some work at first base during camp, even though they view him as a third baseman.
The former top 100 prospect has never been a highly rated defender. Before getting traded to the White Sox, he primarily played third base as he worked his way through the Dodgers' farm system. However, once he reached the big leagues, the Dodgers immediately began testing him in other positions to try to fit him into a stacked roster and mitigate his lackluster defense at third base. His .956 fielding percentage in the hot corner is the lowest of all three positions the Dodgers and White Sox have had him play.
Vargas was acquired by the White Sox in a three-team deal in large part because of his offense. But in 591 big league plate apperances he is slashing just .175/.273/.312. The organization is confident the muscle he added this offseason and tweaks to his swing will yield better results. But if it doesn’t, Vargas may find himself as the odd man out by the end of camp, his defense looks like it did on Wednesday.
