The American League’s starting lineup at the first-ever All-Star Game in 1933 featured all-time greats such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Charlie Gehringer. Also in that lineup, starting at third base and batting sixth, was Jimmy Dykes of the White Sox.
Nearly a century later, Dykes remains the only White Sox third baseman to start the All-Star Game. But Miguel Vargas has a chance to change that in 2026.
Phase 1 of the balloting for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game is now underway, and Vargas has a strong case to be the AL's starting third baseman. Among primary third basemen this season, he leads outright in home runs (15), RBIs (41), runs scored (47) and walks (43) and sits near the top in OPS (.859), bWAR (2.4) and fWAR (2.3).
The White Sox were not expected to contend this quickly after losing more than 100 games in each of the past three years, but they currently sit at 34-31. While Munetaka Murakami has rightfully received plenty of credit for the turnaround, Vargas’ breakout is another big reason why the club is in the postseason conversation.
Much like his team, the 26-year-old Vargas has rebounded from some crushing lows in a short time.
Two years ago, he was trying to carve out a role with a Dodgers club that had signed him as a teenager out of his native Cuba in 2017. Los Angeles was mere months away from winning it all. But Vargas never got a chance to hoist the trophy, as he was traded to the White Sox that July.
Just like that, he went from one of the best teams in baseball to a club that was on its way toward setting a Modern Era (since 1900) record with 121 losses.
Vargas didn’t fare well after the trade, either, slashing .104/.217/.170 over 42 games. His struggles continued at the start of last season, and he found himself staring at a career line of .170/.268/.298 over 193 games as he entered play on April 23, 2025.
But the White Sox stuck with him at third base and were rewarded for their patience when Vargas hit 16 homers with a .769 OPS over his final 116 games.
The plate discipline has always been there for Vargas, who owns a career chase rate of 21.2%. But he simply didn’t produce enough quality contact -- or make enough contact in general -- over his first few seasons to be a productive hitter.
That began to change in 2025, and he’s taken it a step further in ’26. Only two hitters have recorded more batted balls this season that were both hard-hit (95+ mph exit velocity) and in the launch-angle sweet-spot range of 8-32 degrees.
Most hard-hit batted balls in LA sweet-spot range, 2026
1. Yordan Alvarez: 62
2. Bobby Witt Jr.: 58
3. Miguel Vargas: 52
4-T. Freddie Freeman: 50
4-T. José Ramírez: 50
4-T. Dillon Dingler: 50
What that means, in simpler terms, is that he's been consistently producing hard-hit line drives and fly balls, which is a surefire way to increase your slugging.
Sure enough, 22 of his 26 extra-base hits -- including 12 of his 15 home runs -- have come on those types of batted balls this season.
Vargas has improved that aspect of his game, in part, by swinging with more force. In fact, he’s recorded the largest year-over-year increase in average bat speed of any qualifying hitter from 2025 to ’26, going from nearly 2 mph below the MLB average to 2 mph above it.
Largest increase in bat speed, 2025 to ’26
1. Miguel Vargas: +3.4 mph (70.6 mph to 74.0 mph)
2. Cam Smith: +2.6 mph
3. JJ Bleday: +2.4 mph
4. Mark Vientos: +2.0 mph
5. Pete Crow-Armstrong: +2.0 mph
For some hitters, swinging harder means swinging wilder, but Vargas has managed to avoid that tradeoff. After improving his strikeout rate from 24.1% in 2024 to 17.6% last season, Vargas has held steady at 17.4% in ’26. He’s also chasing less than ever (19.3%) and walking as much as he ever has (15.2%).
Put it all together and Vargas has positioned himself to possibly end the South Siders' unbelievable All-Star drought at the hot corner. Even if he doesn't end up getting elected to start, Vargas has a good chance to become the first White Sox third baseman to make the All-Star team in 18 years (Joe Crede in 2008) and the seventh to do so overall.
More importantly for the White Sox, he's starting to look like the type of cornerstone player who could be vying for All-Star consideration for years to come.