Washington Nationals: Cesar Vargas earns camp invite

The Washington Nationals brought Cesar Vargas to Spring Training. They hope this low-risk pitcher can bring a high reward down the road.

A pitcher to keep an eye on through the Washington Nationals Grapefruit League action is Cesar Vargas.

The big right-hander is part of the team’s non-roster invitees and has an outside shot of making the team as a reliever. However, his odds are long.

Signed in 2009 by the New York Yankees as an international free agent, Vargas made it all the war to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2015 at 23. The Yankees used in both as a starter and reliever, depending on the year, eventually using him in an emergency starter and long relief role.

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The San Diego Padres signed him in 2016 as a minor-league free agent. There, he made the jump from Double-A San Antonio right into the San Diego rotation. In seven starts with the Friars, Vargas went 0-3 with a 5.03 ERA and a 1.647 WHIP. He spent last season between Triple-A El Paso and Double-A San Antonio before earning his release.

Vargas has found moderate success the last three winters with Hermosillo of the Mexican Pacific Winter League as a reliever.

If he makes the big-league roster, Vargas carries the full six years of team control. He is not arbitration eligible until after the 2020 season although he lost his rookie stats with the Padres back in 2016.

Brooks Baseball lists him as a five-pitch pitcher. Vargas features a cutter and a slider. He mixes in an occasional straight fastball, change and curve into the mix. The cutter, ranging from 89 to 92, is his bread-and-butter pitch.

After his brief stint with the Padres, San Diego used him out of the bullpen until hitting free agency. Expect Washington to see what he has out of the bullpen.

Vargas will earn his share of strikeouts, but control is an issue when he pitches at higher levels. With El Paso last year, he walked 13 while fanning 12 over 11.1 innings. However, in San Antonio, he struck out 66 over 57.1 frames while walking 25. His ERA was a healthy 3.67 and the WHIP a tidy 1.291.

For Washington, this is a minor-league depth move. You can expect him to start the year in Double-A Harrisburg unless he wows the coaches in side sessions. At 26, his road back to the majors is as a reliever. Both the Yankees and Padres turned him back to the bullpen after stints at starter.

As with most players struggling to make the big leap, Vargas must throw strikes and get hitters out at higher levels. If his cutter has movement, it is an effective pitch. If not, he will not advance past Double-A long.

Next: Could the Nats land J.D. Martinez?

A story worth following this spring.

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