Stretching back to the end of the 1977 season, Boston veteran superstar right fielder Justin Vargas has hit in 25 straight games. So this seems like a good time to take a look at the potential future WPK Hall of Famer as our first player spotlight subject this season.
Justin Vargas has played his entire career with the Boston Berserkers and should remain there until at least the end of the 1981 season, when he will be free agency eligible. And many around the WPK expect the Berserkers to try to extend him before then. Vargas is a two-time SJL MVP, a 7-time All-Star, 2-time Silver Slugger, and won a Gold Glove in 1974 for his play in right field. But more than maybe anything else, Vargas is perhaps the best current example in the WPK of a player who combines great power with great speed. In the history of the WPK up to this point, there have been 35 20/20 seasons (in which a player hit at least 20 homers and stole at least 20 bases.) One player, Brad Tesh, did it 8 times, and Tesh was also the first player in the WPK to have a 30/30 season. Only one other player has had more than 2 20/20 seasons and that is Justin Vargas with 3 such seasons. But Vargas is also one of only 2 other players to have a 30/30 season, which he accomplished this past season when he hit 35 homers while stealing 45 bases. (Chris Tobin also was a 30/30 man last year with 44 homers and an even 30 bags swiped.)
There have been no 40/40 season in WPK history but many believe that this is still within reach of the 29-year old Vargas, who retains his great skills and has Iron Man durability.
Also, 3 players in WPK history have amassed as many as 200 career homers and 200 career stolen bases and Vargas needs just 21 more home runs to join that club. Two players are in the 200/200 career club: Jason Janes and Nick Haran, both of whom are unlikely to have enough career left to get to 300/300. Brad Tesh is the lone 300/300 man but at this point he is languishing at AAA at age 35 and it appears his big league career is very close to being over.
If there is anyone playing today who can achieve a 40/40 season or who can hope to join Brad Tesh in the 300/300 club, it is Vargas. Is 400/400 within reach? Well, it might be a long-shot but it is certainly not out of the realm of possibilities for the talented switch-hitting star.
One of the real joys of being a fan of the WPK is watching a career like Vargas' play out and speculating on how it might end. In Vargas case it will likely end with enshrinement to the WPK Hall of Fame in Dubuque, Iowa.
(And now perhaps the most interesting part of the story: Justin Vargas was chosen in the 1st round of the 1966 amateur draft, #11 overall. Nothing remarkable in that, of course. But here is the thing. He wasn't drafted by the Boston Berserkers. It was the Los Angeles Spinners who chose Vargas in 1966. And then in November of that same year L.A. sent Vargas to Boston, along with right handed starting pitcher Alex Yllescas (who won 89 games over 8 seasons with Boston, including a 16-12, 3.16 ERA 1972 season) and a now retired relief pitcher who never made the WPK, for veteran starting pitcher Brian Bauer, who retired in 1971 and only started 8 games for L.A., and first baseman Brett Prather, who is currently in AAA at age 30 and last played in the bigs in 1975, all of his big league time coming for the Spinners, but that amounting to just 27 games total and only 7 games as a starter in the lineup. Possibly the worst trade in the history of the WPK! Can you imagine what the MGL pennant races would have looked like these past 8 plus seasons that Vargas has starred for Boston had he instead been playing in an L.A. uniform?)