Dodgers notes: Miguel Vargas influence, David Peralta, Vin Scully

We’ve already talked about how Miguel Rojas worked with Miguel Vargas this offseason in Miami, with the veteran helping the rookie on defense.

“He wants to be a good defender, and he’s working hard to be good at second base,” Rojas said of Vargas on February 4 at FanFest at Dodger Stadium.

Vargas this winter in Florida also reached out to another new Dodgers acquisition. Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic has more on the veteran influence on Vargas, including this passage on Martinez:

When Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc, whom Martinez credits for his career revival in 2014, came to visit Martinez in Ft. Lauderdale, he brought Vargas with him.

“We just hit it off,” Martinez said. “He’s just a very humble kid, a great kid. … (He’s) got a lot of talent. I’m excited about him. I’ve talked to the Dodgers about him personally and I think he can be something special. He’s got great tools and great ability.”

Links & notes

• Craig Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus analyzed the Dodgers reported weekend additions of David Peralta and Alex Reyes. Goldstein raises several questions, especially on defense, but praises the depth addition of the Peralta, with his heavy platoon splits. “There are a lot of balls in the air for the club this offseason,” Goldstein wrote. “Peralta adds one more, though he also has a pretty defined use-case, and a high enough floor to be useful in almost any scenario.”
• Fordham Magazine last week celebrated the most memorable calls of the university’s most famous alums, Vin Scully: “He had an uncanny ability to frame the drama as it unfolded—and he was known for the wisdom, humor, and humility he conveyed to people, on and off the air.”
• The middle game of the Dodgers-Angels freeway series, on Monday, March 27 in Anaheim, will be shown on ESPN+ for folks outside the local market.
• In case you missed this on Sunday, the extended trailer for the movie ‘Creed III’ shows a boxing match at Dodger Stadium.