Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: Mookie Betts Takes Miguel Vargas Under His Wing

Dodgers rookie Miguel Vargas hasn’t had quite the September he hoped when he was called up with the roster expansion in early September, but he has been hitting much better lately, posting a .294 batting average and .748 OPS over his last five games.

Vargas came into September with a chance to compete for a spot on L.A.’s postseason roster, and his bat coming around would be a good sign for that. But the main available role would likely be in the outfield, a position he had never really played before this season. He hasn’t be terrible in left field this month for Los Angeles, but he has often looked like, well, a rookie who hadn’t played much outfield before this year.



One of the benefits of being on the Dodgers, though, is being teammates with some of the best defensive outfielders in baseball.

Mookie Betts has really embraced his role as a team leader over the past couple years, and having a young outfielder to mentor is right up his alley. Vargas is extremely athletic, so there are certainly tools to be at least a solid outfielder. A little mentoring from a guy with 14 defensive runs saved in the outfield this year can only help.

With Joey Gallo’s inability to take that next step back towards the All-Star he was in Texas, there’s definitely an opportunity for Vargas if he can continue hitting and show he can hold his own in the outfield. It’s good to see him putting in the work.

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Jeff Snider

Jeff was born into a Dodgers family in Southern California and is now raising a Dodgers family of his own in Utah. During his previous career as an executive at a technology company, he began writing about baseball in his spare time. After leaving corporate America in 2014, he started doing it professionally. Jeff wrote and edited for Baseball Essential for years before joining Dodgers Nation. He's also the co-host of the Locked On Dodgers podcast, a daily podcast that brings the smart fan's perspective on our Boys in Blue. Jeff has a degree in English from Brigham Young University. Favorite Player: Clayton Kershaw Favorite Moment: Kirk Gibson's homer will always have a place, but Kershaw's homer on Opening Day 2013 might be the winner.

One Comment

  1. He just needs Roberts to start slotting his name into the daily lineup to give him a chance to show what he can do……Gallo is a strikeout machine when he plays left….Taylor about the same..

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