Vargas getting back in the swing of things -- literally

MESA, Ariz. -- Up to this point, Miguel Vargas’ spring at-bats had been causing some confusion for uninformed onlookers. Due to a hairline fracture in his right pinkie finger, he’d been unable to swing, but he was still going up to bat in order to track pitches.

As he awaited the moment that his Spring Training could truly start on the offensive side, Vargas walked in four times in 12 plate appearances.

In Thursday’s 1-0 loss to the A’s, Vargas doubled with two strikes in his first at-bat, sending a ball bouncing over the wall in left-center field. He finished the day 1-for-3, getting swings off in every plate appearance, certainly making up for missed time. Call it a successful, albeit unofficial, 2023 Cactus League debut -- one that he’s been looking forward to for weeks now.

“I was 100 percent swinging at the first pitch I saw,” said Vargas, who fouled Adam Oller’s first pitch back to the net. “It was exciting to be able to swing today and I feel great.”

Considering that he couldn’t swing the bat before this, Vargas even surprised himself when he drove the ball deep into the left-center-field gap.

“I didn’t expect to do that today,” said Vargas “But I’m starting to see the ball well and I feel better. You know, baseball happened and I was happy to get that double.”

• How Mookie Betts became mentor for Vargas

Vargas, MLB Pipeline’s No. 37 overall prospect (No. 3 for Los Angeles), received his first taste of the Majors last year after slashing .304/.404/.511 with 17 homers at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He struggled in his debut big league stint, going 8-for-47 with just one home run. But there’s excitement for the talent he holds, especially as the Dodgers begin to understand the full scope of his progression from last year.

“I’m very excited for Miguel, he’s got a great baseball pedigree,” said manager Dave Roberts. “I think that this camp, in particular, has been great for him to see what’s expected of him on the defensive side as far as the urgency, practicing the right way. And also, just being around our guys in preparations for games.”

With Gavin Lux’s season-ending right ACL tear, the Dodgers’ infield picture has changed, and it’s becoming clear that Vargas is being groomed for second base. It’s part of the reason Vargas played in six games before he was even able to swing a bat -- Los Angeles wanted to ensure that he was on track to be ready for Opening Day.

“I’m really excited, this year, for him to be the guy -- get everyday opportunities,” said Roberts. “He just has a great way about him as a guy that’s open, curious, hardworking, but very confident. And that skill set, you can’t debate it. It’s going to be fun to watch him this year [in that second-base role]. I’m excited.”

Vargas was finally cleared to swing Wednesday, participating in live at-bats against right-handers Yency Almonte and Daniel Hudson, sending one pitch to deep center field. But even before then, Vargas was working to jell with the rest of the infielders in his new spot, both on the back fields and in Cactus League games. In 2022, Vargas played left field and first base for the Dodgers, while primarily playing third in Triple-A.

“I feel great in my defense, I feel a lot more comfortable at second now,” said Vargas. “I got better communication with the guys at shortstop, third and first -- they’ve helped me a lot. I’m really proud that they’ve extended a hand for me.”

There’s a lot of work to be done to replace Trea Turner’s 4.9 bWAR and Lux’s 2.5 bWAR from last season. Fangraphs’ ZiPS projections predict Vargas slashing .265/.333/.424 with 3.3 fWAR in a full season of action in 2023.

For now, he’s much more concerned with contributing any way possible. Despite his late start, there’s little worry about him getting up to speed, both from himself and his manager.

“I think he’s going to be fine,” said Roberts. “He’s done a good job because he’s making the most out of seeing pitches, tracking them while being up in the batter’s box. … Right now, it just seems like he’s one of the guys. He just fits. The game has slowed down for him -- he’s got a slow heartbeat, but the game just looks right for me.”