The Chicago White Sox are back to riding another losing streak, as they’ve dropped four of their last five games. The White Sox are coming off their series with the Chicago Cubs, where they swept and were outscored 26-8.
The White Sox have not scored more than five runs in their last six games and don’t appear to be on the winning track anytime soon. The White haven’t been playing “as a team” this season, and have seen others not live up to expectations.
Thankfully, there are a few players on the team who are surpassing expectations, with Shane Smith being the best of the bunch. One other player who has stood out has been third baseman Miguel Vargas, who has been on a nice little tear, which has led to him receiving some well-deserved recognition.
Vargas’s hot bat hasn’t gone unnoticed
Vargas has had himself one heck of a week, which saw him hit four homers, two doubles while driving in nine and scoring five runs in six games. Overall at the plate, Vargas’s slash line was .417/.423/1.000, and was good enough to earn him the honor of being the Player of the Week for the week of May 12-18.
“Miguel Vargas has been named American League Player of the Week for the period of May 12-18, his first career weekly honor. Vargas batted .417/.423/1.000 (10-24) with two doubles, four home runs, nine RBI and five runs scored over six games.”
Miguel Vargas has been named American League Player of the Week for the period of May 12-18, his first career weekly honor. Vargas batted .417/.423/1.000 (10-24) with two doubles, four home runs, nine RBI and five runs scored over six games.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 19, 2025
Vargas has seemingly turned a corner and appears to be forming into the player the Los Angeles Dodgers thought he could be, and who the White Sox had hoped to get when they traded for him last season. In 44 games this season, Vargas has slashed .245/.328/.421 for an OPS and OPS+ of .749 and 114.
Vargas’s overall slash line, OPS, and OPS+ are all career highs, as he has proven to be a career .192 hitter, with a career OPS and OPS+ of .624 and 75.
Quite the turnaround for the Chicago White Sox third baseman
Vargas’s success at the plate can be attributed to making some mechanical adjustments to his swing and working to get on top of the fastball up in the zone. Vargas also came into camp by putting on 20 lbs of muscle and showing up ready to be better than he has been in his short career.
The White Sox have batted Vargas at the top or in the heart of their lineup for this season, and it has proven to pay off for both sides. The one question that Vargas still has to answer is: Is this sustainable?
May 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox third base Miguel Vargas (20) hits a two-run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
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