Tetelo Vargas
Center Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Tetelo Vargas was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Cuban Stars East and the New York Cubans. In 144 career games, he hit .367 with 201 hits, 3 home runs, and 88 RBI. Tetelo Vargas was a 2-time All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,902.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Center Fielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 142 lb
- Died
- 12/30/1971 in Guayama, P.R.
- Awards
- 2× All-Star
Full name: Juan Esteban Vargas
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 144 | 547 | 125 | 201 | 32 | 14 | 3 | 88 | 10 | 61 | 5 | .367 | .433 | .494 | .927 | 2,902 |
Career AVG .367 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — +36.3% above league average.
Career OBP .433 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — +28.7% above league average.
Career SLG .494 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — +30.9% above league average.
Career OPS .927 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — +29.9% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | CSE | ECL | 16 | 53 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 | .245 | .282 (-13%) | .344 (+6%) | .392 (-38%) | .736 (-17%) | -100.2 |
| 1929 | CSE | ANL | 27 | 111 | 30 | 44 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 3 | 12 | 2 | .396 | .289 (+37%) | .353 (+30%) | .415 (+41%) | .769 (+36%) | 718.7 |
| 1941 | NYC | NN2 | 45 | 173 | 36 | 62 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 35 | 1 | 16 | 2 | .358 | .262 (+37%) | .332 (+24%) | .373 (+39%) | .705 (+32%) | 902.4 |
| 1942 | NYC | NN2 | 25 | 87 | 14 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 1 | .276 | .253 (+9%) | .323 (avg) | .349 (-5%) | .672 (-2%) | -49.2 |
| 1943 | NYC | NN2 | 31 | 123 | 35 | 58 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 4 | 19 | 0 | .472 | .255 (+84%) | .324 (+67%) | .346 (+71%) | .671 (+69%) | 1430.2 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 144 | 547 | 125 | 201 | 32 | 14 | 3 | 88 | 10 | 61 | 5 | .367 | — | — | — | — | 2,902 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (72 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 14 | 49 | 12 | 21 | 0 | 6 | .429 |
| Away | 58 | 209 | 55 | 85 | 1 | 26 | .407 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943-08-15 | NY6 | HOM | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-08-15 | NY6 | HOM | W | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-08-14 | NY6 | HOM | L | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-08-12 | NY6 | PH5 | L | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-08-08 | NY6 | PH5 | W | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-07-05 | NY6 | PH5 | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-07-05 | NY6 | PH5 | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-07-04 | NY6 | PH5 | W | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943-06-27 | NY6 | NY5 | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943-06-13 | NY6 | HOM | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 9 | 9 | 69 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 2B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 112 | 112 | 200 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| SS | 21 | 20 | 41 | 55 | 6 | 8 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | CSE | 1B | 9 | 9 | 69 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 1927 | CSE | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927 | CSE | SS | 6 | 6 | 12 | 15 | 1 | 3 |
| 1929 | CSE | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929 | CSE | 3B | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929 | CSE | OF | 10 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929 | CSE | SS | 15 | 14 | 29 | 40 | 5 | 5 |
| 1941 | NYC | 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941 | NYC | OF | 45 | 45 | 82 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1942 | NYC | OF | 25 | 25 | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943 | NYC | OF | 31 | 31 | 58 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 9 |
| Second Base | 3 |
| Third Base | 3 |
| Shortstop | 21 |
| Left Field | 19 |
| Center Field | 89 |
| Right Field | 4 |
Tetelo Vargas: the record in brief
Tetelo Vargas's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1927 to 1943. Club by club, the record runs the Cuban Stars East (1927 through 1929) and the New York Cubans (1941 through 1943). Vargas, born on April 11, 1906, in Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, D.R., is listed as a center fielder and threw and hit right-handed. The bio gives 5 feet, 9 inches and 142 pounds. The bio records the death on December 30, 1971, in Guayama, P.R. The given name on file is Juan Esteban Vargas.
In 144 games and 547 at bats, Vargas batted .367 with 201 hits, plus 3 home runs and 88 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .433 clip and slugging .494, Vargas finished with a .927 OPS. Set against a .270 league average for the same years, Vargas's .367 average sits 36.3% above it. By OPS the gap is 29.9% above league average (.927 against .714).
Frequently Asked Questions about Tetelo Vargas
- Was Tetelo Vargas a pitcher?
- No. Tetelo Vargas was a position player (Center Fielder).
- How many home runs did Tetelo Vargas hit?
- Tetelo Vargas hit 3 career home runs with 201 hits.
- What was Tetelo Vargas's career batting average?
- Tetelo Vargas batted .367 over his career, with 201 hits in 547 at bats.
- How many RBI did Tetelo Vargas have?
- Tetelo Vargas drove in 88 runs in his career.
- Is Tetelo Vargas in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Tetelo Vargas has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did Tetelo Vargas play for?
- Tetelo Vargas played for the Cuban Stars East and the New York Cubans.