Prospect Profiles: Alexander Vargas




5-foot-10

150-pounds

Shortstop

Switch-hitter

21-years-old

Signed: August 1, 2018 out of Cuba


Some guys take time to develop their man strength and put on mass. I recall drinking “Weight gainer 3,000,” a protein shake with 3,000 calories per serving, in high school in a desperate attempt to pack on a few pounds and somehow failing miserably. Before the current offseason, it was the same story for Alexander Vargas. He’s a skinny, athletically gifted kid who may just need some time to grow into his body.

Despite a trying season in 2022, it’s easy to forget that he finished 2021 as one of the most intriguing prospects in the system. 

In his first crack at the full season leagues and under the bright lights of evening games, Vargas stumbled a bit. He hit .203/.271/.311/.582 with eight homeruns, 14 doubles, two triples, and 27 SB. He also struck out 123 times in 100 games. Just one year prior, he had hit .273/.362/.393/.755 in the FCL. 

Despite the rude awakening, there were several factors working against Vargas last year. First, he was 1.2 years younger than the average competition. He had never played under the lights before, and he was significantly underweight. It’s also a known phenomenon that switch hitters take longer to develop. Even Jasson Dominguez had an adjustment period. 

Without making any further excuses for Alex, it’s time for the good news. He must have been drinking some “weight gainer 3,000” in the offseason because he showed up with 15 extra pounds off muscle this year. While no one would confuse him for Ben Rortvedt, this is a big step in the right direction for Vargas. Last year, he had poor exit velocities and just looked overpowered by pitchers. The bat was dragging. This year, he already looks much better.

Vargas is a switch hitter who’s better from the left side. All eight of his homeruns in 2022 came off righties. He has good bat-to-ball skills but with little to no power in the past. He has patient approach and good knowledge of the strike zone. Once he puts the ball in play, he has plus speed and knows how to steal bases.

In the field he is a plus defender. He has the arm to stick at shortstop, a quick transfer, plus range, and good hands. 

One bad season in the minors does not bury a player. After gaining some much-needed weight in the offseason, Vargas has positioned himself to turn it around in 2023. The Yankees started him in High-A, and sure enough his offseason work has paid off. 

After a two-homerun performance tonight, Vargas is now up to a .263/.344/.561/.985 line with four homeruns, a double, and two triples in 14 games. He also has four stolen bases while striking out 16 times. With continued success, Vargas could push himself into the top prospect conversation once again. Even after this offseason he still has room to fill out and improve.

The hot start has put him back on the map and follow closely.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Breakout Alert: Jared Serna prospect profile

Image
5-foot-8 168-pounds Second baseman Right-handed batter 20-years-old  Signed: July 2nd, 2019 out of Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico The Yankees have made a habit recently of not letting height get in the way of signing guys with talent. Keiner Delgado, Abrahan Ramirez, and Jared Serna are all players are the shorter side and the Yankees are giving them every opportunity. Jared Serna has so far demonstrated that his height bears no importance on the quality of his game and the numbers he can put up. In 2021, Serna’s first season, his numbers were good but not great in the DSL. He hit .238/.404/.384/.788 with three homers, nine doubles, and two triples with 24 SB. Not the best numbers, but when combined with his mature approach, patience, hit tool, and defensive capabilities at second base it was enough to get him a promotion to the FCL in 2022.  That’s when he really took off. He hit .302/.438/.527/.965 with six homeruns, nine doubles and a triple in 37 FCL games. He also stole 16 bases, earning
Read more

Prospect Profile: Strikeout artist Danny Watson

Image
  6-foot-7 235-pounds Right-handed relief pitcher 22-years-old Draft: 15 th round of the 2021 draft out of Virginia Commonwealth University In addition to Jack Neely and Bailey Dees, the Yankees drafted a third huge pitcher in 2021. Watson is still young, and spent the whole season in Low-A last year. He had respectable numbers, finishing with 66 K : 36 BB and a 4.01 ERA in 58.1 innings. This was pretty similar to the season he had in 2021 for Virginia Commonwealth. Similar to Neely and Dees, Watson carries with him a substantial ceiling for a player drafted in the 15 th round. At the time he was drafted, Watson was already hitting 96 mph regularly on the radar gun and had a nice slider to complement it. The Yankees have worked with him to improve his control power, velocity, and secondary pitches. Watson began the year at High-A, where he has excelled. He has a 2.45 ERA and 28 K : 8 BB in 14.2 innings. That's an incredible strikeout rate, and unsurprisingly batters
Read more

Prospect Profile: Shutdown reliever Jack Neely

Image
6-foot-8 225-pounds Right-handed relief pitcher 22-years-old Draft: 11 th round of the 2021 draft out of Ohio State University In 2021, the Yankees drafted several big pitchers later in the draft. In doing so, they infused the lower minors with some high ceiling talent. One of these players was Jack Neely. In 2021, Neely was coming off a bad year for Ohio State. He had a 6.1 ERA and struggled with walks (5.2 BB/9) and homeruns (2.0/9). Despite that, the Yankees saw something in him. They drafted him in the 11 th round. 2022 was a different year for Neely. He was a dominant reliever in Low-A and briefly in High-A. The walks improved, he developed a slider and improved his strikeout rate. He finished with a 3.58 ERA and 87 K : 26 BB in 50.1 innings. Neely is equipped with a fastball that averages 97 mph and hits 98-99 regularly. If that wasn’t enough, the fastball also features a high spin rate. He added a slider in 2022 that catapulted him to bigger success. Neely stil
Read more