5 Dodgers who have turned around their slow starts to the season

Miguel Vargas:

Miguel Vargas was amazing at getting on base for the first few games of the season. Through April 19, Vargas was hitting .191, with a .277 SLG, and .658 OPS that was saved by his ability to walk frequently (he had a .381 OBP at the time). But Vargas’ best tool as a prospect was not his plate discipline, and as such, fans were wondering when he would start to add in some more power.

Well, Vargas answered those questions pretty convincingly. 

Since April 14, Vargas’ OBP has actually dropped to .338, but that still ranks eighth among all rookies in MLB, and is 18 points higher than the MLB average. However, in the absence of walking a lot, Vargas has become much more aggressive at the plate, and has started to slug at a much higher level (his SLG went from .277 to .430). Vargas had not hit a home run through his first 24 games of the season, but in just 12 games since that point, he has hit four homers. In May, while his OBP is at .297, Vargas is slugging .647 to bring his May OPS to .944. If he can combine the plate discipline he had to start the season with the recent surge in power, Vargas will join James Outman as the second Dodger in prime contention for NL Rookie of the Year.