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The Cuban third baseman Miguel Vargas has reached seven home runs in the 2026 Major League Baseball season, and if he maintains this pace, he would finish the campaign with 33 home runs, double his personal record in MLB, set in 2025 with 16 home runs.
According to journalist Francys Romero, the Havana native, who wears number 20 for the Chicago White Sox, achieved that figure in just 34 games played, a pace that positions him as one of the most dangerous power hitters in the American League this season.
His complete numbers in 2026 reflect an overall improvement: an average of .228, an on-base percentage of .360, a slugging percentage of .447, and an OPS of .807 in 123 at-bats, with 18 RBIs, five stolen bases, and 24 walks.
One striking statistic is his performance against left-handed pitchers: Vargas is batting .297 with four home runs in 37 at-bats against lefties, compared to two home runs in 79 at-bats against right-handers.
The 2026 season has also brought a remarkable synergy with the Japanese Munetaka Murakami, who signed a two-year contract with Chicago for 34 million dollars. The White Sox have a record of 4-1 when both hit home runs in the same game, making them the team's offensive engine.
Murakami, for his part, has hit eight home runs in his first 22 games in MLB, a pace that projects him to 58 homers for the season, with an OPS of .955 and a barrel rate of 26.2%, the fourth highest in Major League Baseball in 2026.
The rise of Vargas in 2026 is a continuation of a trajectory marked by constant improvement. In 2025, Vargas was named American League Player of the Week in May, after hitting .417 with four home runs and nine RBIs in seven days.
That same year, Vargas matched his personal record of seven home runs in just 49 games, exceeding the pace of 2023 when he needed 81 games to reach that number.
Born on November 17, 1999, in Havana, Vargas left Cuba at the age of 16 alongside his father Lázaro Vargas, who is considered a legend of Cuban baseball. Lázaro Vargas is recognized as one of the best players in the history of the island.
Miguel signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an international free agent in 2016 and made his MLB debut on August 3, 2022, after excelling in the minor leagues with a batting average of .319, 23 home runs, and 76 RBIs in 2021.
In 2025, Vargas joined the Cuban elite in MLB with a streak of doubles that positioned him among the top hitters of the season, solidifying his place in the Chicago lineup.
If Vargas can maintain his current pace until the end of the season, his 33 projected home runs would represent not just a personal record, but one of the most productive seasons by a Cuban player in recent Major League history.
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