LOS ANGELES ― Miguel Vargas’ parents were able to attend their son’s major league debut in person in San Francisco, as well as the ensuing home games at Dodger Stadium earlier this month. When his father, Lazaro, spoke to Dodgers special assistant Jose Vizcaino afterward, he was beaming about his son’s first hit.
Why? Giants pitcher Alex Cobb had thrown Vargas a sinker over the plate, and Vargas hit a line drive to the opposite field. That reminded the elder Vargas of his own approach as a hitter.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was a bit less specific in his praise.
“The main thing (Vargas) showed, and I told him this the other day, is he showed himself and us that he can hit in the major leagues,” Roberts said. “There were some big spots, going deep in counts. Even the first base hit he got – the double, a heater up, top of the zone, off Cobb – was a really good at-bat. Runners in scoring situations. Just how we handle the preparation.
“For a young player to come in here essentially in a pennant race, to handle himself like that, is telling.”
For the Dodgers, seeing a minor leaguer make such a fast impression has almost become commonplace. Vargas, James Outman, and Jake Lamb – a veteran who was subsequently traded at the Aug. 2 deadline – all needed little time after being called up to acclimate to major league pitching.
Outfielders Trayce Thompson and Joey Gallo were not midseason call-ups, but each made a similar impression within their first week of being acquired in separate trades.
The net result? The Dodgers already feel better about their bench heading into the postseason than they did this time a year ago.
“Not to take away anything from anyone we had, but if you look at the options on the position-player side, the pitching side as far as the ’pen, the floor has been raised considerably,” Roberts said. “Right now, Miggy’s not on the (26-man) roster, but knowing we have someone like that if we need someone to pull from, is encouraging for all of us.”
The 2021 postseason was a battle of attrition. By the time they were eliminated by the Atlanta Braves in last year’s National League Championship Series, the Dodgers had lost their starting corner infielders (Justin Turner and Max Muncy) to injuries. And starting pitcher Max Scherzer was scratched from his scheduled Game 6 start due to arm soreness.
The domino effect was conspicuous. Matt Beaty and Albert Pujols were left to share the first-base duties. Andy Burns, a journeyman with all of 19 major league games to his credit, took a critical at-bat in the elimination game. Another veteran, Steven Souza Jr. – who has since retired – batted in nine of the Dodgers’ 15 playoff games.
Arguably no area of the Dodgers’ arsenal has improved more in the last year than their bench.
Thompson has an .889 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) in 36 games since he was acquired from the Detroit Tigers. Among the Dodgers’ regulars, only Freddie Freeman has a higher OPS. Gallo hit a critical three-run home run Wednesday; he hit 12 in 82 games with the New York Yankees. Vargas and Outman only played six games between them before being sent down, but they racked up eight hits, including four for extra bases.
It’s fair to question how much this all matters.
Was the 2021 season just an unusually bad year for injuries, or baseball’s new normal? Could the effect of a lockout-shortened spring training in 2022 be similar to the effect of a pandemic-delayed camp in 2020? If not, will teams dip into their bench as often this October as they did last year?
“I think having depth is paramount at all turns,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “We did feel going into this offseason with some of our minor-league signs, adding depth to the minor leagues, that our depth was at a much better spot. Last year, you can point to the shortened 2020 season, and that is what caused those later injuries. This year you could point to a shortened spring training. Or it’s just baseball. I don’t know.”
Gomes pointed to the positional versatility of this year’s bench as reason for optimism. For as well as he hit in 25 games with the Dodgers, Lamb was not capable of backing up all three outfield positions like Gallo. That was a primary driver behind the Dodgers’ biggest deadline-day deal.
Right-handed hitter Hanser Alberto has backed up both middle infield positions. Left-handed hitter Edwin Rios, who is due back in the coming weeks from the injured list, can back up both corner infield positions.
Gallo, Thompson, Alberto and Rios probably aren’t Plan A for the Dodgers’ ideal postseason lineup. But their availability could be paramount to the Dodgers’ success.
“We’ll be able to navigate guys who are a little banged up,” Gomes said.
