An athletic teenager, Vargas spent his early years playing pick-up baseball games, which helped him develop ability and strength. By 1927, when Vargas was 21, scouts from the
United States and the Dominican Republic had noticed him. Vargas was
Black, however, and he became a member of the
Negro leagues' famed
New York Cubans. Meanwhile, at home, he was signed by the
Leones del Escogido, one of the four original Dominican Republic winter baseball league teams that remain in competition. Vargas gained recognition around the
Caribbean and in
New York City, establishing a Negro league record by hitting
home runs in seven consecutive at bats. In
1932, Vargas went to play in
Venezuela, where he became a star and remained until
1938, when the New York Cubans re-signed him. In
1940, Vargas played in the
Puerto Rican Winter League. He eventually became an established resident of
Puerto Rico. Vargas was once again signed by the New York Cubans from
1941 to
1944, his last year as an active player in the Negro leagues. Meanwhile, in
Caguas, Puerto Rico, Vargas established himself as an All-Star, playing in the Puerto Rican All-Star game multiple times during the 1940s. At the time, a series of different sports competitions preceded the All-Star game in Puerto Rico, all of them involving baseball players and for the All-Star game's public's enjoyment. Vargas, who won various
stolen base titles through his career, won a number of sprint races as an All-Star player in Puerto Rico. He went on to play with the
Guayama Witches and the
Santurce Crabbers before heading to the
Mexican Pacific Winter League in
1952. Vargas, in the twilight of his career, returned to the Dominican Republic's winter league also in 1952, this time with the
Estrellas Orientales team. At the age of 46, he led the Dominican Republic league with a
batting average of .350. Vargas managed the
Dominican Republic national baseball team at the
1952 Amateur World Series. Vargas retired from baseball in
1953, after having played 27 seasons in five countries. ==Statistics==