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On this day in 1995 the Marlins signed seventeen-year-old pitcher Claudio Vargas as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. As of today Vargas' professional career has been going on for 17 years.
Vargas never actually pitched in the majors as a Marlin: He was traded to Montreal in 2002 and made his big league debut as an Expo in 2003. He followed the Expos to Washington before playing for the Diamondbacks in 2005 and 2006, then joined the Brewers for the first time in the Doug Davis trade before the 2007 season.
2007 was the first of three stints with the Brewers for Vargas: He was with the team as a starter in '07, a reliever in 2010-11 and is back in the organization as a minor leaguer this year. It's possible he could be a September callup, as he's posted a 3.58 ERA in 98 innings for AAA Nashville.
With help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- Huntsville Star Cody Scarpetta, who turns 24.
- Brevard County Manatee Nick Shaw, who turns 24.
- Hall of Famer and 1981-85 Brewer Rollie Fingers, who turns 66. We covered his birthday in this space last year.
- Seattle Pilot Dooley Womack, who turns 73.