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The Cuban designated hitter Miguel Vargas hit his 16th home run of the season this Tuesday with the Chicago White Sox, matching the same number he took 138 games to reach during the entire 2025 season in just 65 games, according to journalist Francys Romero on his social media.
The home run was a two-run shot in the bottom of the third inning against the Atlanta Braves, hit at 109.0 miles per hour and traveling a distance of 377 feet.
The statistical comparison is compelling: in 2025, Vargas finished the season with 16 home runs, a batting average of .234, and 60 RBIs in 138 games; in 2026, he matched that home run total in half the number of games, nearly doubling his power production rate.
In the current season, the Havana player has a batting average of .242 and an OPS of .859, with 41 RBIs, 47 runs scored, and nine stolen bases at the time of his 16th home run, numbers that place him among the most productive third basemen in the American League.
Romero summarized the performance leap with a direct comparison: "Miguel Vargas: 2025, 16 home runs in 138 games; 2026, 16 home runs in 65 games."
The player reaffirms his status as the leader among third basemen in the American League for home runs during 2026, establishing himself as one of the key offensive figures at his position in Major League Baseball.
Vargas arrives at this moment in a favorable context for his team: the White Sox have a record of 34-31 and are 2.0 games behind the leaders of the American League Central Division, the Cleveland Guardians, marking a remarkable resurgence for the franchise.
The Cuban is the son of the legendary Lázaro Vargas, regarded as one of the best catchers in the history of Cuban baseball, who played 22 seasons with Industriales in the National Series and won two Olympic golds with Cuba in Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996, although he never had the opportunity to wear a Major League uniform.
Miguel's rise is not sudden. In May 2025, he was named Player of the Week in the American League after hitting .417 with four home runs and nine RBIs in a single week. By 2026, he maintained an upward home run pace since the start of the season, with seven home runs in 34 games by May 5 and nine in 38 games by May 10.
With 16 home runs and still a large part of the season ahead, Vargas aims to have the best season of his career in the Major Leagues and to significantly surpass all his previous personal records.
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