Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Envisions Miguel Vargas Playing a Big Role for LA Next Season

Dodgers prospect Miguel Vargas was the Triple-A Prospect of the Year in 2022, posting a .915 OPS in 520 plate appearances with Oklahoma City. His cup of coffee with Los Angeles wasn’t as successful — while he showed flashes of his offensive potential, overall he had just a .455 OPS in 50 plate appearances in the big leagues.

Still, L.A. remains extremely high on Vargas, as manager Dave Roberts said on the Starkville Podcast on Thursday. And while Doc stopped short of guaranteeing Vargas would be on the Opening Day roster, he says we should expect to see a lot of Miggy in 2023.

“Miguel Vargas is somebody who’s going to play next year for us a lot. Whether he breaks with us or not, he’s a guy, that homegrown guy, top prospect. He needs a look, he needs a runway. So we’re going to do that for him.”

“Runway” is a good word to hear from Roberts, because it means the team is committed to giving Vargas a real shot — even if he initially struggles. The big question will be where he plays on defense, as the D has been the only real knock on him as he’s cruised through the minors. Third base, second base, left field, and designated hitter are all options for him to get some time, but left field might be the most likely simply because they already have full-timers at second and third and they probably don’t want a 23-year-old to be a full-time DH.

But wherever he plays, it’s Vargas’s bat everyone is excited about. And Roberts says we’re going to see a lot of it, which is a good thing.

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