What To Make Of Kennys Vargas

I am a big believer in Vargas and have championed him for some time. At various times, he has hitter better LH and RH, indicating he has the ability to perform from both sides of the plate, at least to some degree. His mild numbers indicate strong OPS and pretty consistent power numbers. He may always SO more than you'd like, but that is not uncommon for a slugger. He has also shown a willingness to work the count and take some free passes. That is NOT a bad thing. He also has put in a lot of work at 1B, his batting approach, and his ability to put more lift in to his batted balls. (The article referenced above is absolutely worth the read!)

For some who might argue he's been around for some time, he didn't even turn 26 until the season was over. And his usage has been sporadic. Again, as noted above, when in a groove, or even just coming off one, he's been benched or sent out for no good reason. Everything about his milb and ML production and potential screams out to be given a fair opportunity to see what he can do over time!

Just give it to him and don't bench him or send him out after a few bad games. If that philosophy were sound, half your team would be benched at different times. Early Dozier 2016 ring a bell?

He has a career 103 OPS+ for his short career.

I'm going to focus on his 123 OPS+ from last year.

He got jerked around by his manager last year, as did several other players. He seldom started against LH pitchers, even though he had a 1.262 OPS against them. And as has been noted on this thread and others, he seems to get benched when he's hitting well.

I think it would be foolish not give him a regular slot, whether that be as the 1B when a LH is pitching or to try him against everybody. Basically we do not yet know what he's capable of.

Vargas' use is one of the reasons I have no confidence in this manager at all.

Not only Park but Palka is also waiting in the wings for an opportunity. And all the talk of the Twins signing another hitter too.

He's one of many Twins that are at a crossroads in their career. They hold some promise but are old enough that the team can't wait much longer. I hope the Twins give him an extended consistent chance so we can find out.

Not only Park but Palka is also waiting in the wings for an opportunity. And all the talk of the Twins signing another hitter too.

Can you repeat that?

Let's give him 550+ PAs so we can know for certain.

I get that you don't like Vargas, but this is far from even-handed analysis.  

 

Do you treat Buxton's production the same way?

 

I see Vargas having changed his approach significantly last year, I'd love to see what he could do with a full season of ABs.  If he can't produce, then we move on, but this team needs to invest in players like Vargas.

Vargas did well in July and then went right back to being Vargas.  I agree we should give him a real shot, but I imagine we'll move on after this season.

^^^^^

How about "What to make of the Twins offseason,"......Yuck

And all the talk of the Twins signing another bitter too.

That has to be a signing from the Twins Daily Site.

Why, I can make a hat or a brooch or a pterodactyl...

Because you are old and your fine motor skills have deteriorated and although it is doubtful a human type species could procreate with a Pterodactyl, you might know different since you were alive when they existed.

Vargas got the shaft in 2015, he was starting to find his legs, and he was sent down in May. He ended up not doing to well in the minors that year. Maybe he was up and down last year, but he had an ops in the .830's. He strikes out some, but the dude can take a BB. He does not seem lost.

Instead of signing a guy from a thread I read today... a 1B/DH type, I would much rather roll with Vargas.

The worst that can happen is that he sucks day in and day out, that rings the same of a lot of players we have who are projected to start in our line-up. You then make changes.

Vargas is 26, that is young. Not every baseball player is a Ken Griffey Jr. or a Bryce Harper 19 year old easily making it to the bigs. Some guys need some time to figure it out.

Vargas is an asset and not a lost cause. Let's ride that horse... except for his defense. He is a DH.

I think he has the ability to be a 30HR and .800+OPS hitter. Very acceptable for a DH and fill in 1B.

There were 25 DH last year with >= 100 at bats.

Vargas was 8th in OPS, 9th in wRC+ and 5th in ISO.

It wasn't luck either, as he was 12th in BABIP.

I hope we get a chance to see what he is capable of. 

4 repeats, impressive

Hey batta batta batta, saaawing batta batta

My guess is that the new FO will be looking at someone who can provide better play in the field than Vargas.  DH rotation, just like changing who plays against whom based on adv. stats.  I don't know how a one-dimensional player fits into Falvey's team construction model.

I like Vargas, he's shown some pop.  But his defensive play at 1st was "good for a big guy". 

Vargas deserves a spot on the team and I imagine he gets one. He hammered left-handed pitching last year and could platoon at first with Joe Mauer. So even if the Twins do sign another bat, Vargas likely earns himself plenty of playing time simply because Mauer is not a full time player anymore.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure why we're looking for corner infielder/DH types. But Vargas will be on the roster and he's earned it.