Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Talked to Miguel Vargas Amid Hitting Slump
Dave Roberts has had the pleasure of overseeing some of the most talented players we’ve ever seen hit the field over the past couple of seasons. The Los Angeles Dodgers compete with the best of teams every year for a reason and Roberts is the one who manages it all, despite the criticism he takes from fans.
However, this also means that Roberts is the most important advisor when one of his guys goes through any sort of slump. We saw it with Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, and even recently with Max Muncy. He never loses faith in their abilities and only further puts them in positions to succeed. He is facing this yet again with Miguel Vargas.
Vargas came into the season with a lot of hype and some lofty expectations around his name. Second base was immediately named his spot and even though he endured some health issues in Spring Training, he looked solid enough to get some pre-season Rookie of the Year love.
Instead, it looked like he was hitting the rookie wall early into 2023. He had only 6 hits this season before his huge double on Saturday night.
Roberts spoke to media before the game sharing that he would be talking to his rookie second baseman to let him know he’ll be a big part of their squad.
“I think right now with Miguel, he’s just missing some pitches that he normally doesn’t. But also, there’s a couple balls that he squared up in San Francisco, could have been extra-base hits that they made plays on that he wasn’t rewarded,” said Roberts. “I’m going to give him a little [talk] and just kind of reassure him that he’s still doing a good job. And I think for me it’s just go out there and keep taking good at-bats. And so if he’s aggressive in the strike zone… I want him to be as aggressive as he can in the strike zone and continue to be passed when not.”
Via Dodgers Nation
Seems like the pep talk worked with a 2 hit game on Saturday.
It’s still super early into Vargas’ career and we should be looking at the positives here. He hasn’t been successful when he swings but he has been more than patient during these games and garnered a ton of walks.
With fellow rookie James Outman taking care of business as well, Dodgers fans should not be worried about these young bucks.
Have you signed up for the Dodgers Nation newsletter yet? Get the latest news, rumors, highlights and more right in your inbox every day! Keep up to date on every single thing involving your boys in blue!
