Grading Every Diamondbacks Position Group at the All-Star Break

It's officially the All-Star break, and the Arizona Diamondbacks have clawed their way back to 49-47, two games over .500.

2026 has been, at times, a frustrating year for Arizona. But it's also come with some pleasant surprises.

Without too many wasted words, let's take a look at each position group, and offer a letter grade to each:

Diamondbacks outfield

Jun 7, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll (7) makes a sliding catch in the outfield during the ninth inning at Chase Field against the Washington Nationals against the Washington Nationals. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Grade: B

This group is heavily carried by Corbin Carroll, and even he has entered a lengthy, brutal slump of late.

The Diamondbacks' outfield has played excellent defense as a whole, and they've gotten some contributions from rookies like Ryan Waldschmidt, Tommy Troy. They've gotten a small amount of production from Max Kepler in limited plate appearances, as well.

But beyond Carroll's .825, no other Arizona outfielder has an OPS in the .700s. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is hitting to a .551 OPS that can no longer be explained away by sample size.

Meanwhile, Jake McCarthy is hitting to a 121 wRC+ with the Rockies, and Alek Thomas is in the Dodgers minor league system. This has not been an overly productive group, with the exception of Carroll.

Diamondbacks infield

Jul 7, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) throws to first base for an out during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Grade: B-

The Diamondbacks' infield group has not produced nearly as much offensively as expected. Geraldo Perdomo is following up his MVP-caliber season hitting just .241 with six homers.

Ketel Marte's .772 OPS is a far cry from the superstar numbers he's posted in previous years, though he's had plenty of highlight-reel moments nonetheless. Nolan Arenado is still an elite defender, and is hitting better than his dismal 2025, but has still only been worth a .731 OPS and 12 homers.

And then, of course, there's the first base conundrum, which has been a thorn in Arizona's side all year. Pavin Smith and Carlos Santana were both cut loose after unproductive seasons, which leaves the load to Ildemaro Vargas and Tim Tawa for the foreseeable future, barring a trade.

Vargas was the hottest hitter in baseball for a while, and he — alongside all of his infield teammates, in fact — has played unexpectedly strong defense. It's that, plus a combination of other factors that award this infield a slightly-above-passing grade, but the offense from this group has been nowhere near its expectation.

Diamondbacks starting rotation

Jul 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Grade: D+

If not for the All-Star efforts of Eduardo Rodriguez, and the value of Michael Soroka's one-year deal, this group might have been an F.

Zac Gallen is having another abysmal, league-worst season with a 6.34 ERA. He's now on the IL with elbow inflammation. Merrill Kelly began the year on the IL and has not pitched well overall, despite some strong individual results.

Ryne Nelson looked shakier than his breakout season, with an ERA near 5.00, and is now on the IL with an elbow strain. Soroka is also sidelined with a left glute strain, though his 3.07 ERA was a big plus when he was healthy.

Brandon Pfaadt has been an odd case. He struggled as a starter, struggled as a reliever, then went down to Triple-A, tweaked his delivery, and has allowed only three runs in three starts (15.2 innings) against the Giants, Padres and Dodgers since returning to the rotation. That's encouraging, but he needs to continue on that path.

The rookie fill-ins have been a mixed bag, as expected. Jose Cabrera had a strong debut, but then allowed 11 runs in 12.2 innings in his next three starts and was optioned back to Reno. Mitch Bratt has not completed four innings in a start yet, and has given up four runs in six innings. It's probably too early to tell with either of these arms.

Diamondbacks bullpen

Jul 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Sewald (38) reacts after striking out Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández (not pictured) during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Grade: A-

The Diamondbacks' bullpen has been anything but perfect. In fact, they have a 4.00 collective ERA and rank just a single point above league average, ranking 14th out of 30 clubs.

But this group has to be graded on a curve. If the 2024 Diamondbacks had the 14th-ranked bullpen in baseball, they might have won 100 games and the World Series. This group has performed so far beyond expectations it's hardly conceivable to be celebrating an average group this much, but they deserve it.

Paul Sewald, despite a high 4.24 ERA and some tie-game struggles, has locked down 22 of 23 ninth-inning save opportunities. He's been the perfect fill-in closer on just a $1.5 million deal.

Meanwhile, the signings of Jonathan Loaisiga (2.17 ERA) and Taylor Clarke (2.59 ERA) have seen excellent returns. The Brandyn Garcia (1.90 ERA) trade looks great, and the familiar contributors of Kevin Ginkel (2.84 ERA) and Ryan Thompson (2.88 ERA) look as good as they did in 2023.

It's not perfect, but it's a far, far cry from where this team was a year-plus ago.

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