Carlos Vargas is one of four prospects on our Top 30 list that made the Diamondbacks Opening Day roster. Looking to add more power arms to the bullpen, the D-backs saw his 100 MPH fastball and acquired him from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for starting pitcher prospect Ross Carver.
With injuries piling up on the relief corps, Vargas had an opportunity to make the big league roster and seized it. In 11 Cactus League appearances, he pitched to a 2.61 ERA and a 13/4 strikeout to walk ratio over 10.2 innings. Save for one appearance against the Giants on March 14th, in which he allowed a run and walked three hitters, Vargas allowed just two runs in 10 innings and a strikeout to walk ratio of 12/1.
"I'm very happy. It's an awaited day for my family and fans" said the D-backs No. 20 prospect. "I was a little nervous. Despite all those nerves, I always had confidence and faith that everything would work out."
For Vargas, he believes the trade from Cleveland to Arizona likely opened up a better opportunity to pitch in big league games. His approach to Spring Training with this new opportunity was to "come to focus and not letting up at any point, just going full on and learning from some of the veterans in camp". One of the veterans he has been learning from is Miguel Castro, who the D-backs signed in free agency last December.
With both a high velocity fastball and a plus secondary pitch, Vargas profiles as a future backend of the bullpen arm. In the meantime, the key is to get him comfortable facing big league hitters as he's further recovered from April 2021 Tommy John surgery.
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