The last true superstar season for the Chicago White Sox belonged to Luis Robert Jr., a one-year outburst in 2023. The Cuban-born outfielder mashed 38 home runs with an impressive .542 SLG, making him the franchise’s “jersey seller” for a couple of seasons.
Three years later, the prize of a quiet trade during the 2024 season is becoming Chicago’s next superstar. Third baseman Miguel Vargas is having an All-Star-caliber season in 2026, and it doesn’t look to be his last. The 26-year-old tied his career-high in home runs on June 9th, in just his 65th game of the season.
Acquired from the Dodgers in a deal for relief arm Michael Kopech, Vargas is blossoming into one of Major League Baseball’s most complete hitters. Don’t let the .244 batting average fool you — his talent passes the eye test, and the advanced metrics can validate it.
The 38-34 Chicago White Sox are enjoying not just a resurgent season, but a franchise turning point. Spearheaded by Vargas, the White Sox are cooking up an electrifying young core that will only get better. College super-prospect Roch Cholowsky is all but headed to the Southside with the first overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
The future of the White Sox looks bright, but that’s not a knock on the success their having this season. Thanks in big part to their breakout third baseman, the Sox are already making noise in the American League.
He’s breaking out, but should he be even better?
Undoubtedly, the White Sox will gladly take the .849 OPS that Miguel Vargas is producing. Compared to his mark of .717 the year prior, the increase is one of the biggest leaps in the MLB. However, there’s an even bigger story that precedes his results.
According to the advanced metrics, Miguel Vargas should be batting for a 14% higher average. Statcast’s expected batting average metric computes that he should be hitting .278, rather than .244. Additionally, his expected slugging percentage is almost .060 points lower than his actual mark of .484.
In large part, these metrics love Vargas because he doesn’t have any weaknesses at the plate. He holds the 10th-best chase rate in baseball, and walks an absurd 14.5% of the time. In addition to smart swing decisions, he makes them count, with the 12th-most barrels of any hitter.
Are we watching a Miguel Vargas 20/20 season? 👀
16 HR | 10 SB | .860 OPS through 251 AB.#WhiteSox 3B is 4 HR & 10 SB away… pic.twitter.com/Pd2s0UqMXA
— Adrian White (@AdrianWhiteSox) June 15, 2026
The fact that Vargas is hitting just .246 on balls in play is a poor reflection of his true hitting ability. Even though he avoids the strikeout and makes quality contact routinely, the element of luck hasn’t been on his side. Based simply on the exit velocities and launch angles of his batted balls, Vargas is the 9th-most valuable hitter in the MLB. However, his results land him as the 32nd-most valuable.
From a castaway to an All-Star candidate
While Vargas was a promising prospect coming up through the minors, his time prior to 2026 in the Majors was a grind. In Los Angeles, the Dodgers called him up first in 2022, where he began a tough couple of seasons. As a youngster on a very talented roster, Vargas never really stuck with the Major League team.
Through 128 games in Southern California, Vargas hit just .201 with a miniscule .364 SLG. At one point, he was labeled the Dodgers’ “second-best utility infielder named Miguel”, a reference to World Series hero Miguel Rojas.
As a Dodger, Miguel Vargas accumulated -1.2 Wins Above Replacement from 2022-2024. This means that during his time in blue, he had a negative impact on his roster. Not just below average, or ineffective. He was a proverbial minus in terms of value.
When Vargas was shipped off in a win-now move to bolster the Dodgers’ bullpen, it came as little surprise. With little opportunity for playing time in LA, the White Sox seized their chance to secure a young piece for their rebuild.
It didn’t click right away in Chicago, either. Through his 42 games in 2024 with the White Sox, Vargas hit an abysmal .104 at the plate. Predictably, going from the MLB’s best team that year to the worst is no easy adjustment.
The wheels began to turn in the second half of 2025, when he jumped from a .680 to a .790 OPS hitter. The hard contact started to show up, and he cleaned up his launch angle considerably. From May to July last year, Vargas was averaging a 26° launch angle, an absurd mark compared to the league average of 12.5°.
After the All-Star break, the launch angle dropped to a playable 18°. He notably quieted down his load at the plate, while also keeping his front shoulder locked in for longer. This allowed him to avoid opening up too early and letting the bat head drift upwards.
In 2026, these key changes have been reinforced over the offseason and into Spring Training, and it’s paying off. Vargas has successfully jumped from negative value » below average » above average » star player in the span of four halves.
MIGUEL VARGAS HITS A WALK-OFF HOMER! pic.twitter.com/D5oBGsKmHg
— MLB (@MLB) May 30, 2026
It’s been all uphill since 2024 for Vargas, even if it took longer than Sox fans would’ve liked. However, when GM Chris Getz traded for Vargas, the front office crew knew it was a long-term investment.
Getting return on that investment in a matter of halves should be a huge win for that war room.