Marco Vargas

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked New York Mets #17 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High.
  
  Track Record: The Marlins signed Vargas out of Mexico as organizational middle infield depth in 2022 and watched as he hit .319 in the Dominican Summer League. The following year, he led the Florida Complex League with 48 walks and was dealt to the Mets with catcher Ronny Hernandez for reliever David Robertson at the trade deadline. Vargas’ first full season with the Mets was short-circuited by a wrist injury that limited him to 37 games for Low-A St. Lucie, with no more than 14 in any single month.
  
  Scouting Report: Vargas has a high degree of hitting skill, but a short track record after spending two seasons in Rookie ball and one at Low-A punctuated by four trips to the injured list. He is a lefthanded hitter with a rhythmic swing and exceptional feel for the barrel and the strike zone. He has more walks than strikeouts as a pro. Vargas focuses on squaring up the ball for line-drive contact to all fields. He isn’t much of a power threat with a career .374 slugging percentage, but he could get to below-average power as his body matures and he makes adjustments to his swing. Vargas split his time between shortstop, second base and third base in 2024. He is most adept at the keystone, with ordinary range and arm strength. He has been a high-percentage basestealer in the low minors, but he won’t be a major basestealing threat.
  
  The Future: Adding strength and exit velocity will help Vargas separate from the pack, but without notable power or speed, he would have to really hit to become more than a backup or semiregular.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 30 | Run: 40 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50.
• 
  Ranked New York Mets #19 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: The Marlins signed Vargas out of Mexico for just $17,500 in late May 2022 after they came up short on infielders to stock their two Dominican Summer League affiliates. He hit .319 with more walks than strikeouts in his pro debut and continued to shine in the Florida Complex League in 2023. Miami dealt Vargas plus 19-year-old FCL catcher Ronald Hernandez to the Mets ahead of the 2023 trade deadline for closer David Robertson. Vargas completed a strong U.S. debut and led the FCL with 48 walks, ranked second with 14 doubles and third with a .434 on-base percentage.
  
  Scouting Report: Vargas is a lefthanded-hitting middle infielder with outstanding bat-to-ball skill, strong strike-zone judgment and an all-fields hitting approach. He doesn’t often attack the ball for impact or hit the ball hard consistently but has flashed glimpses of power in batting practice. The attractions for Vargas are his swing decisions and feel for the barrel, with some scouts projecting a plus hit tool. He is a sound defender at shortstop with soft hands, but his near-average arm and ordinary range mark him as a likely future second baseman or, if his arm improves, third baseman. Vargas is not a stolen base threat as a below-average runner who might slow down as ages. He has strong baseball instincts that help him play above his tools.
  
  The Future: Like fellow 2023 trade deadline pickup Jeremy Rodriguez, Vargas must add strength and batted-ball authority as he develops. His bat is his ticket to a major league role, potentially as a multi-position infielder who hits for average and gets on base. He will get middle-infield reps at Low-A St. Lucie at the outset of 2024.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 60 | Power: 30 | Run: 40 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #20 prospect in 2023
  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.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  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.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  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.