# Miguel Vargas Closes 2026 with 33 Homers and 20 Steals, Enters MVP Talk

**Date:** 09/24/2026

Cuban third baseman Miguel Vargas enters the final stretch of the 2026 Major League season with 33 home runs and 20 stolen bases for the Chicago White Sox, numbers that have pushed him into the American League MVP conversation.

According to StatMuse and South Side Showdown analysis, Vargas is hitting .251/.362/.479 with 102 runs, 90 RBIs and an OPS near .844 across more than 150 games. His 33 homers more than double his previous career high of 16 from 2025, and his 20 steals lead the club.

The 26-year-old Havana native, nicknamed "El Vikingo Cubano," made the 2026 All-Star Game in Philadelphia and ranks third among AL position players with 5.2 fWAR in that analysis. He hit his 33rd home run on September 18 against Detroit at Rate Field.

Son of former Cuban star Lázaro Vargas, Miguel signed with the Dodgers in 2017 and was traded to Chicago in 2024. With five games left, the White Sox sit one game behind Cleveland in the AL Central race.