PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Admitting it was strange to go from playing with the Cubs against the Pirates on May 9 to being a Pirate on May 17. There isn't much that bothers new Bucco utility player Ildemaro Vargas.
The 29-year-old from Venezuela has seen the highs to playing in 92 games and batting .269 with Arizona to the lows of getting released and wondering about your future.
"The journey has been tough," Vargas said. "I've been through a lot of sacrifice and a lot of struggles. Starting with the Cardinals and getting released and then going to cut lawns in the United States."
So let's start there, from baseball to mowing lawns.
Vargas signed as an international free agent in June 2008 and spent seven years with the Cardinals organization. In 2012, he had to feel on top of the world, hitting .322 in rookie ball, he moved up to High A and had 8 hits in 22 at bats. Vargas would hit .248 over the next season of high A in 2013 and released after going 0 for 10 in AA in 2014.
"When I got released by the Cardinals," Vargas said. "I was in West Palm Beach and my child was only three months old. I needed to make money. I needed to provide for my family and I started cutting lawns."
It had to be a punch in the gut to go from two steps from the majors to out of the game. Vargas, though, used it to further his love for the game and be a better person.
"I'm very grateful for that experience because it made me a stronger man," Vargas said of working on a grass cutting crew. "It made me a better man. Those are life journeys that we go through that make you appreciate life even more."
Vargas would give it another shot, signing to play for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Independent League in 2015. That led to a contract with the Diamondbacks later that season and within two years, he was in the Major Leagues.
He would then bounce back and forth between the Diamondbacks and AAA. Vargas spent 2020 with Arizona, Minnesota and the Cubs. Now picked up by the Pirates after his release by Chicago a few days ago.
"It's been a rough journey," Vargas said. "Because it's been a rough journey and I'm sitting here wearing a major league uniform. I can't help but be grateful. I'm glad. I'm happy. Life experiences have helped me cherish moments like this and just remain positive. Life is short and we got to appreciate every opportunity that we have."
A switch-hitter often called on as a pinch-hitter, Vargas is up for anything. He's just thankful to have another shot.
"I'm just grateful that they brought me here," Vargas said. "I know that I'm here to help this team win. I'm here to take advantage of every opportunity that will be provided to me. To demonstrate and to prove what I have to offer and hopefully be here for a good amount of time."
Back in the majors for a couple of years, Vargas stays close with a half dozen co-workers he worked lawn maintenance with seven years ago now in Florida.
Vargas said his friends were in a bar recently and saw him come up to bat. They quickly told the other patrons that they knew the guy on TV. They worked with him not long ago.
Imagine what the others in the bar were thinking.
The guys sent Vargas a video of the moment and he smiled recalling his friends and thinking about them watching him play in the majors.
"I love those guys," Vargas said. "I will always appreciate those guys and I will keep them close."
To most of us, it's just another player the Pirates grabbed off waivers. Turns out his story is much more than that.
