Of all the early-season surprises perhaps the most pleasant is blooming in the desert. That's where the National League leader in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS resides.
Ildemaro Vargas, a 34-year-old utility infielder whose previous nine Major League Baseball seasons have been quite nondescript, has not simply taken up position atop the leaderboards to look down on much more well-known hitters. Vargas, who has only reached the minimum number of plate appearances to be eligible for such honors this week, is riding a 22-game hitting streak. He's collected a knock in every single game he's played this year for the Diamondbacks to help them keep pace in an extremely tough National League West populated by the Dodgers and Padres.
