Ildemaro José Vargas (born July 16, 1991) is a Venezuelan

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

infielder for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

, Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Career

St. Louis Cardinals

Vargas signed with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

as an international free agent on June 24, 2008. He made his professional debut with the VSL Cardinals. He played for the club in 2009 as well, slashing .264/.368/.374 in 52 games. In 2010, Vargas played for the

GCL Cardinals The Florida Complex League Cardinals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. The team plays i ...

, batting .239/.317/.364 with no home runs and 15 RBI. He also played for the club in 2011, hitting .289/.391/.395 with 1 home run and 18 RBI. In 2012, he split the year between the rookie ball

Johnson City Cardinals The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League. The team wo ...

, the Low-A

Batavia Muckdogs The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city of ...

, and the High-A

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Rog ...

, posting a .314/.378/.443 batting line with 4 home runs and 32 RBI between the three clubs. He spent the 2013 season with the Single-A

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Peor ...

, slashing .248/.304/.305 in 115 games. He split the 2014 season between Palm Beach and the Double-A

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

, batting .236/.266/.286 with 1 home run and 40 RBI. On March 30, 2015, Vargas was released by the Cardinals organization.

Bridgeport Bluefish

On April 1, 2015, Vargas signed with

Bridgeport Bluefish The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In 30 games for the club, he slashed .273/.316/.318 with 8 RBI.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On May 26, 2015, Vargas signed a minor league contract with the

. He spent the remainder of the year with the Single-A

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are an independent professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play thei ...

, slashing .321/.385/.438 in 86 games. In 2016, Vargas split the year between the High-A

Visalia Rawhide The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Visalia, California, and have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since thei ...

, the Double-A

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

, and the Triple-A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. ...

, posting a batting line of .305/.360/.400 with 6 home runs and 37 RBI between the three teams. The Diamondbacks added Vargas to their 40-man roster after the 2016 season. Vargas started 2017 with the

and was called up to the

Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

on June 29. He hit .308 in 13 major league plate appearances in 2017 and .211 in 20 major league plate appearances in 2018. In 2019, Vargas hit .269/.299/.413 in 92 games for the big league club, notching 6 home runs and 24 RBI. On September 24, 2019, Vargas was brought in to pinch-hit in the ninth inning of a game against the

and hit a home run that tied the game at 1–1. The game would go on for 19 innings, the longest game in Diamondbacks history, and ended when Vargas hit a walk-off single. Vargas went 3-for-20 in 8 games for Arizona in 2020 before he was designated for assignment on August 6, 2020.

Minnesota Twins

On August 11, Vargas was traded to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for cash considerations. He was designated for assignment without making an appearance for the team on September 2, 2020.

Chicago Cubs

On September 5, 2020, Vargas was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs. He joined the team's active roster on September 7. On September 12, in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers, he hit a home run off of closer

Josh Hader Joshua Ronald Hader (born April 7, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers. Hader is a four-time All-Star and three-t ...

. In 6 games for Chicago, Vargas went 2-for-9. On March 28, 2021, Vargas was designated for assignment by the Cubs. On March 31, Vargas was outrighted to the minors. On April 13, 2021, Vargas was selected to the active roster after

Matt Duffy Matthew Michael Duffy (born January 15, 1991), nicknamed "Duffman", is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent. He played college baseball at Long Beach State. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) f ...

was placed on the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

injured list. Vargas was removed from the 40-man roster on April 16, but was re-selected on May 4. After hitting .143 in 24 plate appearances, Vargas was designated for assignment on May 15, 2021.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On May 17, 2021, Vargas was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Vargas hit .077 in 7 games before being designated for assignment on May 30.

Arizona Diamondbacks (second stint)

On June 2, 2021, Vargas was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. Vargas immediately joined the active roster, his third team of the season, taking the place of infielder

Domingo Leyba Domingo Junior Leyba Santana (born September 11, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles. Career Detroit Ti ...

, who was designated for assignment. After going 3-for-17 in 9 games, Vargas was designated for assignment on June 19. He was outrighted to the Triple-A

on June 22. On September 19, 2021, Vargas's contract was selected by Arizona. Vargas hit .156 in 34 games in 2021, with 0 home runs and 7 RBI's. On October 8, Vargas was elected free agency.

Chicago Cubs (second stint)

On December 17, 2021, Vargas signed a minor league contract to return to the Chicago Cubs. He had his contract selected to the majors on May 10, 2022. He was designated for assignment on May 22, and elected free agency on May 26.

Washington Nationals

On May 27, 2022, Vargas signed a minor league deal with the

. He had his contract selected on August 2.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vargas, Ildemaro 1991 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Batavia Muckdogs players Bridgeport Bluefish players Cardenales de Lara players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Chicago Cubs players Gulf Coast Cardinals players Johnson City Cardinals players Kane County Cougars players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Minnesota Twins players Mobile BayBears players Palm Beach Cardinals players People from Monagas Peoria Chiefs players Pittsburgh Pirates players Reno Aces players Springfield Cardinals players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Venezuelan Summer League Cardinals players Visalia Rawhide players Washington Nationals players