Leo Vargas’ new offseason routine leads to improved numbers for Wingnuts
After playing 56 games for the Wingnuts last season, Leo Vargas returned home for the fall and winter with questions on how to spend his time.
Vargas knew how to direct those questions, though, consulting teammates such as T.J. Mittelstaedt on how to physically prepare for a new season. Mittelstaedt and others helped Vargas outline a fitness plan that has helped Vargas become one of the Wingnuts’ best hitters through 26 games.
After batting .219 last season with no home runs and four doubles, Vargas owns a team-best .345 average with two homers – his first two as a professional – nine doubles, 16 RBIs and seven stolen bases.
“I tried changing up my offseason workout a little bit,” said Vargas, the Wingnuts’ shortstop. “I did talk to T.J. about what he would do in the offseason, and I kind of just tried to adapt. I didn’t do exactly what he does, but I kind of tried to do something similar to what those guys would do.”
Vargas, a 24-year-old who played at Nicholls State, worked in Miami with trainer Andres Estrella, who specializes in drills that address agility. That was crucial for Vargas, who added about 10 pounds of muscle through weight training but wanted to maintain the mobility necessary for playing shortstop.
Vargas kept the slender frame – he’s listed at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds but says he got up to 188 – that makes him a valuable defensive player while gaining power and strength through lean muscle.
“A lot of stretching,” Vargas said. “You try to put up some weights because you do want to build some muscle, but you want to remember that it’s a long season so you want to get your body ready for that. Most of the things I would do would be 15 to 20 reps with my trainer.
“… Baseball is different than football and those sports just because it’s a longer season. Your body demands different things so you want to stay flexible.”
Vargas’ change in routine would have meant next to nothing without results, and the last two weeks have provided them. A four-hit night against Laredo on June 2 started a 12-game hitting streak that run through Thursday.
The streak has included five multi-hit games and Vargas’ first two home runs, which came on consecutive nights against Kansas City last week. Since May 29, Vargas is batting .417 (25 for 60).
“Nothing but positive,” Wingnuts manager Pete Rose Jr. said. “He plays the game the right way. He plays hard all the time. He’s been swinging it since day one. He’s made a couple adjustments, him and (hitting coach Paul Sanagorski) in the cage have been working hard. It’s work that pays off.”
That’s exactly what Vargas was looking for when he returned to Miami in the fall. He didn’t immediately know what to do, but he knew his goals and he appears on the way to reaching them.
“It’s always good whenever it translates onto the field,” Vargas said. “My favorite part is getting to call my parents and my friends and my trainer back home to let them know that all the hard work that they invested into me is paying off.”
This story was originally published June 18, 2016 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Leo Vargas’ new offseason routine leads to improved numbers for Wingnuts."