Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | LAD | 1B/3B | 7 | 50 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 55 | 50 | 40 | 55 | 45 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Geoff Pontes
Age: 21 yr
Height: 6-3
Weight: 205 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2017 IFA
RuleV: 2022
Physical Description: Strong frame, taller than he looks with a toned and athletic build. Looks maxed out physically, any projection will come in the form of strength and not mass. Big league body at 21.
Hit: Sets up square to the pitcher, slightly closed off, slight bend in his knees, simple swing and setup, with a moderate toe tap and easy toned down swing with a flatter bat path. High contact hitter with an advanced approach at the plate. Above average bat speed, but doesn't sell out for power. Above average quality at the point of contact. Could add more power to boost his quality of contact in order to get to plus but currently an above average hit tool. The standout tool in Vargas' profile. Works deep into at bats, has the bat to ball skills to beat junk off from the fringes. Patient approach, made a concerted effort during the second half of 2019 to be more aggressive in hitter counts and it led to a one-hundred point bump in his slugging percentage. Grade: 55
Power: Made a concerted effort to pull the ball more in the second half of 2019. Slugging numbers jumped to .491 slugging and a .185 isolated slugging over the final 56 games of 2019. There's power at the point of contact but prior to the adjustments his bat path had been relatively flat and he mostly looked to go center-oppo with most of his contact. The effort to improve in this regard, coupled with his more opportunistic approach, led to an improvement in his overall power production and provides optimism around the tool's future projection. Grade: 50
Field: Below average at third base, some questions as to whether or not he sticks there long term. Hands and actions are below average, prone to slip ups and poor scoops. Has decent range and his first step and reads aren't bad. Likely not to force Vargas off of third base immediately, but needs to improve his glove skills in order to be capable of manning the position day in and day out at the MLB level. Grade: 40
Arm: Vargas' redeeming quality in the field, strong carry and accuracy, good zip, manages to get off accurate throws with little effort and can stay on his target even when he's off balance. Arm strength gives Vargas some ability to move to an outfield corner should it come to that. Grade: 55
Run: Fringe average runner long term that's an average runner at present. Solid reads as a baserunner and has been successful stealing early in his career. This is likely to not be a major part of his game long term however. Grade: 45
Overall: Bat first profile with improvement needed in the field for Vargas to stick at third base long term. Fortunately for Vargas it's a strong offensive profile with an above average hit tool, strong bat to ball skills and improving in game power. Not to mention there's a reasonable amount of projection for both hit and power long term. At the very least if Vargas is moved off of third the bat is strong enough to support a move to left field, second base, or first base - where he's already seen some time. Vargas just turned 21, and already has a year plus of experience stateside with improving results, a legitimate hitting prospect.
OFP: 50
Role: 50 - Average Everyday Regular
Risk: Moderate
