Before the 2026 MLB season began, Chicago White Sox fans believed [hoped] that Munetaka Murakami would be their biggest offensive star. And through their first 53 games, he is. The Japanese rookie is hitting .235/.374/.540 with 18 home runs and 37 RBI.
Clearly, the concerns regarding whether his power would translate to the Majors were wrong, as Murakami leads the American League in home runs. His strikeout totals have too, as he has struck out 76 times already this season.
But Murakami is not the only offensive star in Chicago right now. Miguel Vargas is making some noise himself.
Chicago White Sox star Miguel Vargas finds himself in AL MVP chatter
May 24, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Chicago White Sox infielder Miguel Vargas (20) hits a one run home run near San Francisco Giants catcher Daniel Susac (6) and home plate umpire Chris Guccione (68) during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
Last season, Vargas played in 138 games (a career-high) and hit .234/.316/.401 with 16 home runs and 60 RBI. These, of course, were not bad numbers, per say, but they hardly made him stand out.
This year, though, the White Sox third baseman has raised him game to another level. Currently, he is hitting .239/.369/.489 with 12 home runs and 31 RBI. Additionally, after stealing just six bases in 2025, he already has eight in 2026.
ESPN recently revealed their top-10 rankings for who should be considered for AL MVP, and Vargas was slotted in seventh.
This is truly an intriguing place for Vargas to be. One could easily argue that Murakami is more valuable to the team than him, and that should not be taken as a slight.
That being said, Vargas has a higher batting average, a similar on-base percentage, and plays better defense than the Japanese star. He has the potential to be a better overall player for a long time.
What needs to happen, though, in order for Vargas to truly become an MVP contender is that he needs to hit more. Very few MVP’s have finished a season with a batting average lower than .260, though Shohei Ohtani did it recently.
Of course, Ohtani also hit 46 home runs and drove in 100 runs that year. If Vargas is to raise up those MVP rankings, his production needs to increase.
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