The thing that enables top prospects to approach their ceilings at the MLB level is often plate discipline.
We have seen countless “five tool players” that aren’t really worth that moniker because they lack the plate discipline to make it work at the highest level.
Laying off bad pitches and taking advantage of the good ones is an ability that takes time to develop.
Some prospects never master it.
In the specific case of Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Miguel Vargas, he seems to have a keen eye at the plate.
He knows when to swing and when to take a pitch.
He has gotten really familiar with the strike zone, perhaps aided by an experiment his team tried in spring training.
“The Dodgers sent the injured Miguel Vargas to the plate a dozen times in early spring and told him not to swing but instead focus on getting really good looks at pitches. It seems to be paying off…. Vargas leads the major leagues in walks with 8!” Encode Baseball tweeted.
The Dodgers sent the injured Miguel Vargas to the plate a dozen times in early spring and told him not to swing but instead focus on getting really good looks at pitches.
It seems to be paying off….
Vargas leads the major leagues in walks with 8! 😮 pic.twitter.com/w2db6xK3M7
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 3, 2023
They included a nice clip of the player laying off some good pitches on the edges.
Vargas was also battling an injury that prevented him from swinging, so the Dodgers took advantage and sent him out there for pitch recognition purposes.
It seems to have worked because he now leads the majors with eight bases on balls against just one strikeout after four games.
Vargas’ discipline was already good before spring training.
Now it looks elite.
We will need to wait for more data to see where it stabilizes, but the early returns are extremely promising.
It looks like the Dodgers now have an on-base machine in their lineup.
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