Ildemaro Vargas’ incredible start to the season has drawn national attention, and the 34-year-old was rewarded for his efforts with his first NL Player of the Week Award on Monday.
With all this attention, I spent a few minutes catching up with Vargas before Tuesday night's 13-2 loss against the Brewers, (which saw him extend his hitting streak to 24 games) to get his take on his hot start, the recent award and whether his mom is still his best hitting coach. Thanks to translator Alex Arpiza for his help:
What was your reaction to winning NL Player of the Week?
Vargas: It's a great award for me, my family, for all of Venezuela. I just want to continue to work hard so that more of these can hopefully come.
It was your first one, have you heard from a lot of people since it happened?
Vargas: A lot of people. A lot. People are just very happy for me and what I'm doing on the field right now. A lot of people have reached out.
I saw where you once said your mom is your best hitting coach. Is that still the case?
Vargas: [Smiles] Yes, because she was always there for my games when I was younger. She would get on my case and get mad when I would swing at the first pitch! She didn't like that. Both of my parents were very supportive of me.
What does she think of your hitting streak?
Vargas: She doesn't like to talk about it at all right now. She said she wants me to remain humble and act like it's not happening.
Your teammates also have said they aren't talking to you about that. Is that superstition?
Vargas: I don't know. I know I don't like to talk about it because I just want to stay focused on what I have to do every day. The most important thing is that the team wins and I do something that helps. That is more important than anything else.
You've always been a good player, but could you have ever imagined having a start like this? I've seen things on social media comparing your stats to Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. What is that like?
Vargas: I'm very happy to be doing well. I don't know about the other stuff. I'm just very grateful for the hitting coaches here. They help me every day to prepare and work, and I'm just so thankful for them.
You've always talked about how much fun and energy you bring, and you've always done that. Why do you think that is?
Vargas: I always feel the support of my teammates. They are there for me, wanting me to do well. I'm thankful for the energy that they give to me and the support they give me. I can feel that when I'm up to bat. I'm just so happy to be here in the big leagues.
During their hitter's meeting Tuesday, manager Torey Lovullo called Vargas up and congratulated him on winning the Player of the Week Award.
"It was a great moment for him," Lovullo said. "And he got up and said some really, really kind things about the coaching that he's getting, the hitting coaches that are there for him every single day, his teammates. And, he said, 'It's taken me a while to get to this point, but I feel like this is a special moment that I'll always cherish.'"
Vargas is on his third stint with the Diamondbacks. He's played parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues, getting into 478 games heading into Tuesday night's game. Never, though, has he had the kind of success he's having now.
"Late bloomer," Lovullo said. "He's always had the talent. You don't have a 23-game hitting streak by accident, you're doing a lot right."
Lovullo was asked if Vargas has made any adjustments that could explain the sudden surge in performance.
"I think he's checking off certain pitches," Lovullo said. "He's finding himself in advantage counts and not afraid to hit with a strike. He's not been one-dimensional [hitting just] the fastball, which has always been his forte. He can turn around the best fastball [in] baseball, and that's why he's lasted so long in this game, because I think a role-type of player has to hit velocity. But now he's learned how to be a better hitter by hitting a breaking ball, or checking off certain pitches he can't hit."