Once upon a time, there was a young MLB player named Miguel Vargas who was more than happy to be on the league's best team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then, the Dodgers traded him to the White Sox, a team on its way to breaking MLB's modern-day single-season loss record.
Images of him looking miserable in the dugout would soon surface after the trade blew up. Everyone who saw it felt sorry for the young infielder. No player deserves a fate like that.
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To his credit, though, Vargas put the unlucky situation behind him and started working in earnest to become the best ballplayer he could be. And boy, did it pay off!
Two years after the trade, Vargas was selected for the All-Star Game and even became the only player to hit a home run during that particular year's event. Less than three months later, he set-up a multi-run homer to help win Game 1 of the ALDS
.
It has all led to Vargas becoming one of 20 finalists for the Hank Aaron Award
, which is presented every year to MLB's best offensive player from the regular season. The winner is determined by a combination of baseball writers, former MLB players, and fan voting -the last of which is open until Oct. 12.
Full List of Hank Aaron Award Finalist
Pete Alonso -Baltimore Orioles
CJ Abrams - Washington Nationals
Yordan Alvarez -Houston Astros
Jake Bauers - Milwaukee Brewers
Randy Arozarena - Seattle Mariners
Pete Crow-Armstrong- Chicago Cubs
Junior Caminero -Tampa Bay Rays
Elly De La Cruz - Cincinnati Reds
Wilson Contreras - Boston Red Sox
Shohei Ohtani -Los Angeles Dodgers
Yandy Daz - Tampa Bay Rays
Matt Olson -Atlanta Braves
Roley Greene - Detroit Tigers
Kyle Schwarber - Philadelphia Phillies
Ben Rice - New York Yankees
Sal Stewart - Cincinnati Reds
Miguel Vargas - Chicago White Sox
Fernando Tatis Jr. - San Diego Padres
Bobby Witt Jr. - Kansas City Royals
Jordan Walker -St. Louis Cardinals
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During his age-26 season, Vargas clearly was the best the Sox had to offer, leading all players on the team with a 5.4 bWAR. He played in a team-high 159 games and slashed .250/.363/.474. He also led the team with 93 RBIs and was one of three players to hit at least 30 home runs (second on the team with 33). Vargas scored a team-high 106 runs, tied for the team lead with 31 doubles, and was second with 147 hits.
Quite simply, the 2026 Sox would not have gotten to where they are now without Vargas. Some players may possess better specific skills, but he's been their most productive all-around offensive player.
However long the Sox last in these playoffs, opposing pitchers who challenge Vargas will be doing so at their own risk. Yes, he's only 1 for 11 through three games, but one bad pitch can snap him out of that slump. And that's not the version of Vargas they want to be pitching to!
Vargas should have a lot to say about whether the Sox keep winning, both this season and beyond.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/whitesox/onsi as White Sox' Miguel Vargas a Finalist for One of Baseball's Most Prestigious Awards
.
