Roberto Vargas

Two Puerto Rican players debuted in the National League on April 17, 1955. The better known collected three hits in eight at-bats, though his Pittsburgh Pirates dropped a home doubleheader against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Forbes Field. 

Roughly 300 miles away, the other boricua stood on the Crosley Field mound, in the second half of a Milwaukee-Cincinnati twin bill. Though he retired all four batters he faced, his Braves tenure was short and unmemorable. Although Roberto Clemente’s career far eclipsed Roberto Vargas’s, the latter was much more than a footnote in Puerto Rican baseball history. The crafty left-hander spent almost two decades on Puerto Rican, Mexican, and American mounds, including two years in the major leagues (1948 in the Negro American League and 1955 in the National League).

***

Roberto Enrique Vargas Vélez was born on May 29, 1929, in Santurce, Puerto Rico, to Fernando Vargas and Carmen Vélez.1 Fernando hailed from Arecibo and Carmen from Lares, towns in the north-central portion of the island. The couple had an older son, also named Fernando, in 1927. Sadly, the boys were orphaned in 1935 and were raised by an uncle. They moved to Humacao, on Puerto Rico’s eastern coast, where the siblings studied at the local high school.

The move proved to be pivotal. As Vargas recalled in 1992, “As a child I had played baseball, like any other kid in the sandlots, but also basketball and volleyball. I didn’t have a predilection for baseball. With Humacao I began practicing with the [high-school] team.”2

Curiously, Vargas didn’t follow the Puerto Rican Winter League (PRWL). While in high school, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound left-hander was recruited to play for a local youth team as a pitcher. He soon progressed to the semiprofessional double-A level with Juncos, managed by the legendary Pedro “Perucho” Cepeda, and led the team to its first title thanks to his 98 strikeouts and 2.01 ERA.3 Selected to the Puerto Rican national team, he was named the best left-handed pitcher in an amateur tournament in Colombia, where his 4–1 record and 38 strikeouts earned him the nickname “the Premier.”4 The Puerto Rican team also featured future major leaguers Saturnino “Nino” Escalera and Valmy Thomas.

While baseball was fun, Vargas had not yet considered it as a career, owing in part to a lack of proper instruction: “It wasn’t until I played professionally that I had proper coaching. Cepeda was a hitter, so he didn’t give us pitchers much guidance. After the games, they would pass the hat and the fans would contribute.”5 Vargas’s uncle initially opposed the idea of his playing professionally but later acquiesced.

Vargas signed in 1947 with the Caguas Criollos rather than his native city’s Santurce Cangrejeros, given the former’s track record of developing pitchers and scout Héctor Solavo’s recommendation, along with an $800 bonus. The team quickly noticed a weakness: “Once I reached Caguas, they realized I couldn’t see well, so they sent me to an optometrist who prescribed glasses.” They would become a hallmark of his career, and rare is a Vargas photograph without his eyeglasses. Caguas co-owner Pepe Seda also gave Vargas critical advice: “Seda taught me to hide my tell. When I was about to throw a curve, one of my fingers stood out. He told me everyone knew what was coming, so I began bending that finger.”6

The franchise nurtured its young player, who had returned from Colombia with a hurt shoulder. He was mostly a reliever in his first season and struggled in 13 games (5.64 ERA, 29 walks, and 29 strikeouts). However, his debut on October 26 was remarkable: he pitched eight innings and allowed two runs against Santurce. His opponent, fellow rookie Rubén Gómez, pitched 11 innings and lost a hard-fought, 3–2 decision.7

Patience proved to be a virtue for the still-developing Vargas: “I had a lively fastball—it wasn’t the fastest one, but it moved a lot. I also had a good curveball, but I didn’t learn a changeup until seven or eight years into my professional career. Back then we played only three games a week (two on Saturday and one on Sunday), so we didn’t carry too many pitchers. Typically, the American pitchers would get two and a native would take the other, so there were not many opportunities, especially for a rookie.”8 Caguas, led by Juan “Tetelo” Vargas (no relation), Lorenzo “Piper” Davis, Chet Brewer, and Rafaelito Ortiz, defeated Mayagüez in a riveting seven-game series.

Despite the limited playing time, Caguas catcher-manager Quincy Trouppe noticed Vargas’s raw potential. After three years piloting the Cleveland Buckeyes (including the team’s 1945 title), he was recruited to manage the Chicago American Giants of the Negro American League. Trouppe brought the 19-year-old Vargas—whom historian James A. Riley described as “light-complected…but considered black”—to the mainland. Also recruited were 21-year-old Bienvenido Rodríguez and 33-year-old Ortiz. Alphonso “Piggy” Gerard, a native of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands who played with Santurce, also joined the squad.

Vargas recognized the opportunity and the challenge: “Road trips were awful; we’d ride on these buses for a long time. Back then, racism was entrenched. Blacks had no equality with whites, they were all separate. There was heavy resentment. Rodríguez, Ortiz, Gerard, and I would hang out. I was barely out of school, so I knew some English. I quickly picked up more by hanging out with the American players and speaking English with them. The sheer size of the country and the cold took some adjustment. It was still cold during spring training, but I didn’t miss Puerto Rico. I just focused on baseball.”9 Nevertheless, it was a stark contrast from the island, where players of all races mixed freely.

Although Negro League statistics are incomplete, Seamheads.com credits Vargas with three games, one loss, and a 4.50 ERA in 18 innings.10 According to Riley, he was 6–8 with a 3.09 ERA.11 Retrosheet credits him with four exhibition games (three with box scores) and 16 regular-season contests (two with box scores).

While the 26–52 American Giants finished last in the NAL, Trouppe, Gentry Jessup, and Vargas were selected to play in the East-West all-star game on August 24.12 (The NAL played two contests: August 22 in Comiskey Park, and a “Dream Game” two days later in Yankee Stadum).13

Accounts differ: Seamheads notes Vargas allowed two hits and one walk in 1 2/3 innings but did not allow a run.14 Retrosheet credits him with two scoreless innings and two walks.15 A contemporary article by James Hicks of The Baltimore African-American is the best surviving source, tagging Vargas for 1 2/3 innings, a walk, and two hits. He bequeathed a pair of runners, who soon after scored, to his successor on the mound:

• 7th inning: Vargas entered the game to pitch for the Americans. Black lined out to third. Marquez popped up to the pitcher. Minosa (sic) walked and was thrown out stealing second.
• 8th inning: Lockett flied to center. Easter popped up to third. Crowe singled to centerfield. Gilliam singled and stretched it to a double with a good slide to second. Crowe pulling up at third. Jim LaMarque replaced Vargas on the mound. He issued a walk to Austin intentionally, filling the bases. Louden smashed down third base line and when Souell threw wild to first, Crowe and Gilliam scored.

After his year with the American Giants, Vargas played for the Drummondville (Québec) Cubs of the Provincial League in 1949 and Jalisco of the Mexican League in 1950. Competition in these independent circuits was mixed: “By the time I played in the Mexican League, there were few big leaguers. There were many good Cuban players, but the Americans were not of major-league caliber, likely because it was a year-round league. In Canada we had Trouppe, Pellot [aka Vic Power in the United States], Danny Gardella … and there was no racism in Canada. In Drummondville, a small town where French is mostly spoken, we mostly rode bikes.”16

Despite his year-round workload, Vargas never lost his passion: “I just loved to play baseball. I never worried about hurting my arm. What affected me the most in the big leagues was in Puerto Rico we only played weekends and we practiced twice a week. We didn’t worry about playing in optimal condition.”17

Vargas married María Victoria Coris on January 15, 1950, in Caguas.18 Their son, also named Roberto Enrique, was born on December 29, 1951, and served in the US military during the Vietnam War. He died on September 2, 1999.19

Vargas played for Lakeland of the Florida International League in 1951, mostly as a starter, and won a career-high 18 games with a 2.69 ERA, including a one-hitter on June 13.20 The Cleveland Indians signed him to a minor-league contract, and he played with Reading of the Class A Eastern League in 1952, going 13–10 with a 2.75 ERA and a 24-inning scoreless streak.21 He was less effective in 1954, going 12–13 with a 4.80 ERA, but tossed another one-hitter.22 While not confirmed, he is believed to have played in the Dominican Republic in 1953.

The Milwaukee Braves drafted Vargas in late 1954 with high hopes. An offseason article in The Sporting News deemed him a “can’t miss” prospect; scout Dewey Griggs “was confident Vargas is ready.”23 El Imparcial about “another Puerto Rican pitcher in the majors,” noting Vargas “has several effective pitches that can readily disarm many good hitters. … He does not waste effort in any superfluous warmup pitches and at first glance, anyone would think he lacks velocity.”24 By January 1955, an in-depth article on prospects from the Caribbean leagues noted that “(Roberto) Clemente, Pirate Property, and Vargas, Claimed by Braves, (Are) Highly Praised.”25

Vargas debuted on April 17 against the Cincinnati Redlegs. Starter Charles Gorin was lifted after giving up three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs and a runner on first, Vargas retired Gus Bell on a pop fly behind first base. He pitched a scoreless fifth before George Crowe pinch-hit for him in the top of the sixth inning. While Milwaukee contended, Vargas reflected that “the Dodgers won 19 straight to start the season and we were supposed to be strong contenders… but with the Dodgers’ fast start, manager Charlie Grimm only played the veterans, so young ones like us would rarely play. I might pitch against a left-handed batter and then get taken out. … I didn’t like it since I was used to the skipper having confidence in me.”26

Vargas recalled an August 27 game “in New York against the Giants. We’re up by a run in the ninth with the bases loaded, their cleanup hitter up, and I’m brought in and get the guy to pop up to the catcher. Two outs. Gómez, a righty, is announced as the pinch-hitter. Grimm removes me despite knowing the Giants had a few good lefties on the bench. We’d have been better off keeping me against Gómez rather than removing me and then having a righty against the bench lefties. Rubén was a good-hitting pitcher, but it was a chess move to take me out of the game.”27

Vargas misremembered a few facts. (It was the bottom of the 11th inning; he retired Dusty Rhodes, who pinch-hit for pitcher Marv Grissom, and Gómez then pinch-hit for leadoff hitter Billy Gardner.) However, the scenario played out as he expected. Vargas was lifted for Ernie Johnson, but Bill Taylor pinch-hit for Gómez to negate the platoon advantage. Nevertheless, Johnson retired Taylor to preserve the Braves’ victory.

Vargas recalled that Grimm was unwilling to discipline the team. “One time in New York, I was dropped off by family at the hotel around 2 AM and sat down in the lobby to read the newspaper. Between 3 AM and 4 AM I saw many of my drunken teammates stagger in, but there were no repercussions.”28

Milwaukee finished 13 1/2 games behind Brooklyn and Vargas struggled as a middle reliever (25 games, 8.76 ERA in 24 2/3 innings, 2.149 WHIP, two saves). Nonetheless, he cherished the experience: “The major leagues are the major leagues… the clubhouse, the parks, the hotels, first class all around. There were many Puerto Ricans in Milwaukee, it was a nice community, and my wife and I were invited to social gatherings.29

Milwaukee reassigned him to the American Association’s Wichita Braves in 1956. In 40 games, he lowered his ERA to 5.33 and won six games, including a shutout. He was acquired by the Dodgers, with whom he played three seasons across their triple-A, double-A, and single-A affiliates. It was a stretch he enjoyed: “I felt at ease, playing more often, felt wanted by the team.”30

Vargas played with Poza Rica of the Mexican League from 1959 to 1961, mostly as a starter. Although he was named the league’s best left-handed pitcher in 1959, “toward the end I hurt my arm. I returned to Puerto Rico and played injured, had a bad season. I returned to Mexico and declined an offer to the United States because I was injured and returned to Puerto Rico. We had a trainer but not a team doctor. … Mexico was known as the grave of baseball players.”31

Vargas played 15 consecutive seasons (1947–1948 through 1961–1962) in the PRWL, all but one with Caguas. The Criollos changed ownership in 1960, and he resented the new regime. “I signed with Arecibo. … I couldn’t help them much, they asked me to return as a coach the next year… but by then I realized baseball was not a game but work. I always thought Caguas should have offered me the coaching job since I gave them my best years.”32

Vargas was recognized as one of the PRWL’s 75 best players in 2013. As of the 2025–26 PRWL season, he ranks seventh in career strikeouts (630) and innings (1,329). His 84 victories rank ninth all time, and he enjoyed four years of 10 or more wins. He and Luis Febres combined to no-hit Aguadilla on December 31, 1950.

Vargas was a member of five Caguas teams that won PRWL championships (1947–48, 1949–50, 1953–54, 1957–58, and 1959–60). He was also a key figure in the dramatic 1950–51 final series, which the Criollos lost to Santurce. He lost the second game, a 15–8 slugfest, against Gómez on February 11. Two days later, he evened the series with a 6–4 victory. As the clubs battled in the final game, Luis Raúl “El Tigre” Cabrera and Vargas allowed two runs apiece through seven innings. Caguas manager Luis Rodríguez Olmo lifted Vargas for his closer, Mike Clark, who gave up a towering home run to José Saint Claire (aka Pepe Lucas) in the ninth for the walk-off victory.33 The home run remains the PRWL’s most memorable moment, forever known as the “pepelucazo” (the Pepe Lucas Blast).34

Vargas also appeared in six Caribbean Series, in which he pitched 44 2/3 innings and went 2–1.35 He was elected to the Caribbean Series Hall of Fame in 2020.

Among his favorite teammates in Puerto Rico was Víctor Pellot/Vic Power. “Pellot was my teammate for 13 years. We were always good friends. … I’ve never seen anyone play first base like him. He was also super smart, not just the skill. He pioneered the one-hand catch when everyone was taught to use both.”36

During winter ball, Vargas had a front-row seat to Henry Aaron’s development. “When he came to Puerto Rico he was a second baseman, but he wasn’t working out; you could see he was awkward. Mickey Owen [then managing Caguas] told him, ‘If you have men on scoring position and you take a called strike, I will fine you,’ so he would be more aggressive at the plate.”37 By the time Aaron and Vargas were teammates in Milwaukee, Aaron had blossomed.

Two opponents awed him: “Willie Mays hit everyone; he hit almost .400 [that year]. I recall a home run he hit off me at Sixto Escobar.” When asked about the most complete Puerto Rican player, he remarked, “Perucho Cepeda would’ve been a regular in the majors. Francisco “Pancho” Coimbre was the best Puerto Rican hitter, according to Satchel Paige, but no one was as complete as Clemente. He got his first PRWL hit against me. We were playing in Caguas, and he pinch-hit for Bob Thurman, whom I could easily retire,… with a man on second, Clemente hit a double between right and center field. I think it was his first plate appearance.”38 Clemente himself recalled, “I honestly didn’t think I was called up to bat, but rather to pinch-run for Willard Brown. Once I reached the plate I asked God to help me, and he did!”39

After retirement, Vargas coached various PRWL teams and owned La Rue, a nightclub near Hiram Bithorn Stadium. The local routinely hosted players from the San Juan Senadores and the Santurce Cangrejeros, who shared the stadium.

Roberto Vargas died in Caguas on May 27, 2014, two days shy of his 85th birthday. He is buried in the city’s Cementerio Borinquén Memorial Park. His wife was not mentioned in the obituary, and it’s unknown whether she predeceased him or whether they had divorced.

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and Abigail Miskowiec and fact-checked by Alan Cohen.

Thanks also to:

• Frank Otto, for his interview with Roberto Vargas on August 8, 1992. The four-part interview is part of the SABR Oral History Collection.
• Jorge Colón Delgado, the PRWL’s official historian, for providing information on Vargas’s post-playing career.

Sources and Photo Credit

In addition to the sources shown in the Notes, the author relied on Beisbol101.com, Baseball-Reference.com, Seamheads.com, and Retrosheet.org.

Photo credit: Roberto Vargas, Trading Card Database.

Notes

1 “Puerto Rico, Registro Civil, 1805-2002”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVJM-4V4J : Wed May 14 07:19:08 UTC 2025), Entry for Roberto Enríque Vargas y Velez and Fernando Vargas, 1929.

2 Frank Otto, “Roberto Vargas,” SABR Oral History, August 8, 1992. https://sabr.org/interview/roberto-vargas-1992/

3 Jorge Colón Delgado, “Roberto Vargas: grande entre los grandes,” Béisbol 101, May 29, 2014. https://beisbol101.com/roberto-vargas-grande-entre-los-grandes/.

4 Colón Delgado, “Roberto Vargas: grande entre los grandes.”

5 Otto interview.

6 Otto interview.

7 Tommy Blake, “Caguas derrota a Santurce en 11 entradas,” El Imparcial, October 27, 1947: 34. https://gpa.eastview.com/eida/newspapers/eida19471027-01.1.35.

8 Otto interview.

9 Otto interview.

10 “Roberto Vargas,” Seamheads. https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/player.php?playerID=varga01rob. Note Seamheads only uses games for which box scores exist.

11 James A. Riley, “The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues,” Carroll & Graf Publishers, New York,1994: 801.

12 The team’s NAL record was 26–52. Their overall record, including non-league games, was 38–60–2 (Seamheads).

13 Thomas Kern, “August 22-24, 1948: The Negro Leagues East-West All Star Games,” Society for American Baseball Research. https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/august-22-24-1948-the-negro-leagues-east-west-all-star-games/.

14 “Roberto Vargas,” Seamheads.

15 “1948 American Negro League All Star Game.” https://www.retrosheet.org/NegroLeagues/boxesetc/1948/B08240ASE1948.htm.

16 Otto interview.

17 Otto interview.

18 https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/GY5V-MQV/roberto-vargas-v%C3%A9lez-1929

19 “United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K4N-F6LB : Sat Apr 26 11:07:20 UTC 2025), Entry for Roberto Vargas Coris and Roberto Vargas.

20 “Israel hits for the cycle again,” The Sporting News, June 27, 1951: 36.

21 “Eastern League: Radcliffe wins first half,” The Sporting News, August 13, 1952: 33.

22 “Vargas’ One-Hitter Defeats Penson, Who Gives Up Two,” The Sporting News, June 23, 1954: 35.

23 Red Thisted, “Braves Have More on Way” The Sporting News, December 15, 1954: 22.

24 “Otro lanzador boricua en las mayores,” El Imparcial, December 12, 1954: 40. https://gpa.eastview.com/eida/newspapers/eida19541212-01.1.39.

25 Clifford Kachline, “Winter Leagues Boast Fine Crop of Prospects,” The Sporting News, January 12, 1955: 21.

26 Otto interview.

27 Otto interview.

28 Otto interview.

29 Otto interview.

30 Otto interview.

31 Otto interview.

32 Otto interview.

33 “El jonrón más famoso de la historia de Santurce,” Cangrejeros de Santurce Facebook page, July 2, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1047470060332132.

34 Cuqui Córdova, “El Pepelucaso,” Diario, January 6, 2015. https://listindiario.com/el-deporte/2015/01/06/351504/el-pepelucaso.html.

35  Colón Delgado, “Roberto Vargas: grande entre los grandes.”

36 Otto interview.

37 Otto interview.

38 Otto interview.

39 Luisín Rosario, “Todo Ganan y Todos Pierden,” El Imparcial, June 14, 1972: 3-B, 4-B, (27-28). https://gpa.eastview.com/eida/newspapers/eida19720614-01.1.28.