Dodgers Team News

Miguel Vargas Gets a Hall of Fame Comparison from Dodgers Coach

Dodgers rookie Miguel Vargas has been putting in the work this offseason. In addition to working on his defense with new teammate Miguel Rojas and hitting in the cage with other new teammate JD Martinez, Vargas has spent a lot of time in Los Angeles working with third-base coach Dino Ebel, who happens to be a defensive coaching wizard.

Ebel was on local radio recently, and he talked about the work Vargas has done defensively. Vargas has been a third baseman throughout his minor-league career, but he’s currently penciled in as LA’s starting second baseman. Ebel is very impressed with his work ethic.



“[Vargas] has been working hard throughout the winter. We’ve been out there on the field grinding it out working around the base. He’s got great hands, good footwork around the base. He’s got a strong arm, as everyone knows he plays third base. He’s excited, he feels really comfortable right now at second base. We’re going to go into spring training and continue the routine that we’ve been doing. His bat is electric. …

“He comes from a baseball background. He’s a baseball lifer. His dad was one of the best players in Cuba. He’s a natural baseball player. He lives for the moment, he’s not scared of anything. He loves the challenge of it and that’s why I think second base is going to be good for him because he’s challenged now. He knows he can play third and we saw him a little bit out there in left field, but he’s concentrating hard now to show his teammates and our staff that he can be the guy for a long time with the Dodgers.”

Ebel is also impressed with Vargas’s bat and put a pretty lofty comparison on his aptitude for hitting.

“Everyone knows his bat. This guy has tremendous power to the right side of the diamond. I’ve been throwing to him every day, this guy with one swing can change the game. He’s a good hitter and he’s got power. And he’s going to hit for average and he’s going to drive in runs. He’s going to step into that batter’s box and he’s not going to be an easy out. He’s going to have some ups and downs but he’s got a good look on his face, he kind of reminds me — his mental aptitude is like an Albert Pujols. He wants to prove everybody wrong and he wants to earn his spot.”

Obviously, we shouldn’t get our hopes up for the second coming of Albert Pujols, but for Ebel to even feel comfortable throwing Albert’s name out in the conversation tells you what kind of hitting mind Vargas has. Every scout agrees that Vargas’s bat is going to be special in the big leagues, and we can add Dino to that list.

It’s going to be a fun year watching Vargas develop as a big leaguer. The defense could be an adventure at times, but the offense should be really exciting.

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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.

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