BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
Track Record: Vargas signed later in the process than most of his peers, inking his deal with the Marlins on May 25, more than four months after the opening of the most recent international period. It all came together when the Marlins realized their talent pool was outfielder-heavy and they needed infielders for their second DSL club. Vargas was attempting to get noticed as a catcher but had enough infield chops to garner a contract. He put together an outstanding first season as a pro in the DSL.
Scouting Report: The first thing that stands out about Vargas is his excellent bat-to-ball skills. He whiffed just 13.8% of the time in the DSL, including a scintillating rate of just 9% miss within the strike zone. There's a pinch of impact there, too, with 18 extra-base hits and a 90th percentile exit velocity of 97.8 mph. Internal evaluators also note excellent barrel accuracy that helps him hold his own against both fastballs and secondaries in all quadrants of the strike zone. He bounced around the infield in 2022, with most of his reps at third base and then a near-equal split between shortstop and second base. He's likely to wind up at second, where his average speed and arm strength will play. He's a fair athlete with solid actions on the infield.
The Future: Vargas will move to the Florida Complex League in 2023. He has the ceiling of an everyday second baseman with above-average hittability and a bit of impact.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 55. Power: 45. Speed: 50. Fielding: 40. Arm: 50.
Organization Prospect Rankings
Team Logo of Miami Marlins
Ranked Miami Marlins #28 prospect in 2022
Track Record: Venezuela has been the go-to destination for catching prospects in recent years, and the Marlins snapped up one of the best available in the most recent crop when they signed Hernandez once the pandemic-delayed international period opened on Jan. 15, 2021. Hernandez spent his debut season in the DSL, where he showed impressive command of the strike zone.
Scouting Report: As an amateur, Hernandez showed off quick feet, plus arm strength that produced sub-2.0 second pop times and the quick footwork that should help keep him behind the plate in the long run. In the DSL and again at the Marlins’ postseason instructional camp at their big league stadium, Hernandez showed a strong sense of plate discipline. During the regular season, that skill allowed him to have nearly as many walks (31) as strikeouts (32). As an amateur he showed doubles power that was expected to amplify as he matured, as well as the strong hand-eye coordination to translate into bat-to-ball skills. Hernandez is also bilingual and has already shown a strong baseball aptitude for a player his age.
The Future: After debuting in the DSL, Hernandez should move stateside in 2022, when he’ll begin to show exactly what kind of ceiling he has going forth.