Despite having a respectable five-year tenure in the minor league system of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Imanol Vargas’ agent did not receive a call when he became a free agency at the end of the 2023 season.
With the Double-A Tulsa Drillers last season, Vargas, then 25 years old, hit 22 home runs. His 114 wRC+ indicated he would be a valuable asset to any major league team. Instead, he accepted a contract with the independent American Association’s Milwaukee Milkmen.

Vargas was waiting for the call he had been waiting for, as the Milkmen prepared for the beginning of their season in May. He was assigned to the Low-A Inland Empire 66ers after signing a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels. On Wednesday, he made his debut in the 66ers’ 5-1 victory over Fresno, when he singled and scored two runs.

Vargas was one of the minor league free agents from the previous season that Baseball America’s Matt Eddy highlighted. Vargas’s maximum exit velocity of 114 mph and his significant damage upon contact appear to be the source of his raw power, the author stated. Reaching sufficient contact to fully benefit has been the problem. Though he might be outplayed in the zone, Vargas is not very adept at chasing.
Four levels and 456 minor league games were played by the left-handed hitter. In his final season (2021), he hit 17 home runs in 72 games while playing for Rancho Cucamonga in the Low-A California League.