Track Record: The son of nine-year major league lefthander Yorkis Perez, Vargas signed with the Rockies for $500,000 in 2021. He debuted later that year in the Dominican Summer League, pitching to a 1.30 ERA over 34.2 innings. He made his U.S. debut in the Arizona Complex League the following summer and earned a late-season promotion to Low-A Fresno. He returned to Fresno to begin 2023, making 13 starts and performing well as a 19-year-old in the California League. He suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in early July and had Tommy John surgery. Vargas will likely miss all of the 2024 season.
Scouting Report: Vargas is a tall, projectable righthander with a smooth, athletic delivery and a loose, fast arm. He has a whippy arm action and delivers the ball from a three-quarters arm slot. He mixes a trio of pitches, led by his four-seam fastball that sits 93-95 mph and touches 96-97 at peak with above-average ride and late armside run. Vargas pairs his four-seam primarily with a big-breaking curveball at 75-77 mph with two-plane movement and depth. His curveball is his best bat-missing pitch. In 2023, batters had a 54% whiff rate against the pitch and a 39% in-zone whiff rate, both exceptional marks. Vargas’ changeup is a clear third pitch, a low-to-mid-80s offering with tumble and heavy fade. He’ll mix in a sinker variation of his fastball on occasion as well. Overall, Vargas shows a good feel for his arsenal, particularly for his fastball/curveball combination. He’s still learning his changeup, which will be a point of focus upon returning from Tommy John surgery.
The Future: A projectable righthander with starter traits, Vargas will likely be an average back-end starter at peak.
Track Record: Vargas is the son of nine-year big league lefthander Yorkis Perez. The Rockies signed the highly-rated amateur out of the Dominican Republic for $500,000 in 2021. Vargas debuted in the Dominican Summer League in 2021 and pitched to an impressive 1.30 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 34.2 innings. He made his U.S. debut in 2022 by making seven appearances in the Arizona Complex League, striking out 40 batters to four walks in 26.2 innings. He was promoted to Low-A Fresno in early August and made six starts over the final month. Vargas impressed with a 3.65 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 24.2 innings.
Scouting Report: Vargas is a young, projectable righthander already flashing starter traits at 19 years old. His thin wiry frame and slight build don't project to add much physicality, but he should maintain a high level of fitness and athleticism. These traits translate to a easy, free-throwing motion. Vargas works from a tall-and-fall operation, delivering the ball from a high three-quarters arm slot. He mixes a trio of offerings led by his low-to-mid-90s four-seam fastball and a mid-70s two-plane curveball with depth and heavy horizontal break. He shows the makings of an average or better changeup in the mid 80s but is still inconsistent in executing it. Overall, Vargas shows the makings of three average or better pitches with potential for above-average command. While he manages to execute his fastball and curveball combination in a north-south manner effectively, he'll need to diversify his pitch usage as he advances up the minor league ladder.
The Future: A projectable and talented pitching prospect with hints of starter traits and feel for a three-pitch arsenal, Vargas has No. 4 starter upside.
Track Record: Vargas is the son of nine-year big league lefthander Yorkis Perez. The Rockies signed the highly-rated amateur out of the Dominican Republic for $500,000 in 2021. Vargas debuted in the Dominican Summer League in 2021 and pitched to an impressive 1.30 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 34.2 innings. He made his U.S. debut in 2022 by making seven appearances in the Arizona Complex League, striking out 40 batters to four walks in 26.2 innings. He was promoted to Low-A Fresno in early August and made six starts over the final month. Vargas impressed with a 3.65 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 24.2 innings.
Scouting Report: Vargas is a young, projectable righthander already flashing starter traits at 19 years old. His thin wiry frame and slight build don't project to add much physicality, but he should maintain a high level of fitness and athleticism. These traits translate to a easy, free-throwing motion. Vargas works from a tall-and-fall operation, delivering the ball from a high three-quarters arm slot. He mixes a trio of offerings led by his low-to-mid-90s four-seam fastball and a mid-70s two-plane curveball with depth and heavy horizontal break. He shows the makings of an average or better changeup in the mid 80s but is still inconsistent in executing it. Overall, Vargas shows the makings of three average or better pitches with potential for above-average command. While he manages to execute his fastball and curveball combination in a north-south manner effectively, he'll need to diversify his pitch usage as he advances up the minor league ladder.
The Future: A projectable and talented pitching prospect with hints of starter traits and feel for a three-pitch arsenal, Vargas has No. 4 starter upside.
Track Record: Vargas is the son of nine-year big league lefthander Yorkis Perez. The Rockies signed the highly-rated amateur out of the Dominican Republic for $500,000 in 2021. Vargas debuted in the Dominican Summer League in 2021 and pitched to an impressive 1.30 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 34.2 innings. He made his U.S. debut in 2022 by making seven appearances in the Arizona Complex League, striking out 40 batters to four walks in 26.2 innings. He was promoted to Low-A Fresno in early August and made six starts over the final month. Vargas impressed with a 3.65 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 24.2 innings.
Scouting Report: Vargas is a young, projectable righthander already flashing starter traits at 19 years old. His thin wiry frame and slight build don't project to add much physicality, but he should maintain a high level of fitness and athleticism. These traits translate to a easy, free-throwing motion. Vargas works from a tall-and-fall operation, delivering the ball from a high three-quarters arm slot. He mixes a trio of offerings led by his low-to-mid-90s four-seam fastball and a mid-70s two-plane curveball with depth and heavy horizontal break. He shows the makings of an average or better changeup in the mid 80s but is still inconsistent in executing it. Overall, Vargas shows the makings of three average or better pitches with potential for above-average command. While he manages to execute his fastball and curveball combination in a north-south manner effectively, he'll need to diversify his pitch usage as he advances up the minor league ladder.
The Future: A projectable and talented pitching prospect with hints of starter traits and feel for a three-pitch arsenal, Vargas has No. 4 starter upside.
Track Record:: Signed out of the Dominican Republic during the 2021 signing international period for $500,000, Vargas was highly rated as an amateur and has major league bloodlines as his father Yorkis Perez was a nine-year major league veteran. He debuted in the Dominican Summer League last summer and impressed with a 1.30 ERA and 46 strikeouts to 16 walks across 34.2 innings.
Scouting Report: Vargas is a tall and projectable athlete with long limbs and plenty of room to add strength in the coming years. In 2021 Dominican Summer League play he deployed a three-pitch-mix led by a mid-90s fastball with plus vertical break and late life. The fastball is Vargas' primary pitch and the offering he commands the best. His most used secondary is a upper-70s curveball with heavy two-plane break moving downward and horizontally late. He struggles to command the pitch consistently and has not gotten to the point of commanding the bottom of the zone with the pitch. He'll flash a mid-80s changeup but the feel for the pitch is inconsistent at this point. He's a projectable teenage arm with some power already in his right arm.
The Future: Likely to debut stateside this summer in the Arizona Complex League, Vargas has high upside but relief risk due to his reliance on his fastball and under-developed secondary pitches.
Career Transactions
Fresno Grizzlies placed RHP Jordy Vargas on the 60-day injured list.
Fresno Grizzlies placed RHP Jordy Vargas on the 7-day injured list.
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