How Good The Diamondbacks Really Are at 2026 Memorial Day Marker

Memorial Day is an often-utilized benchmark in evaluating an MLB team's abilities through the first major chunk of the season.

Though still early, it tends to be around this time that, barring any late-season surge or significant collapse, a club's true colors have begun to show through, even considering how much distance is left to cover in the 162-game marathon.

So, as Memorial Day arrives, where do the Arizona Diamondbacks stand? Below is a blunt evaluation of the Diamondbacks' first 52 games.

Evaluating the 2026 Arizona Diamondbacks

Short-term success grade: A

May 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll (7) reacts with shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) in the dugout before a game against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images

The Diamondbacks are 28-24, four games above .500 through their first 52 contests. They've won eight of their last 10 games against the struggling San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies, and have three more games against the Giants — this time at Oracle Park — looming.

In terms of short-term success, the Diamondbacks are doing exactly what they need to do: capitalize on the soft spot in their schedule — winning three straight series against the NL West's bottom-feeding squads.

It seems that Arizona found somewhat of a rhythm point where they're firing on all cylinders: hitting well, pitching well and playing solid defense. It's been a struggle to play truly complementary baseball this season for extended periods, but they've done a better job putting together those types of wins of late.

But the Giants and Rockies are hardly the type of competition that can offer the best measuring-point for a team's full-season capabilities. So let's break down the individual regions of this Diamondbacks club, with a letter grade for pitching, hitting and defense.

Grading Diamondbacks pitching, hitting and defense

Diamondbacks rotation: B (4.13 ERA)

May 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws a pitch against Colorado Rockies — May 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws a pitch against the Colorado Rockies in the third inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images

The Diamondbacks' rotation has been one of the most polar aspects of the club this season. While some results have been disappointingly poor, Arizona's 4.13 rotation ERA ranks 15th in the majors.

They've gotten extremely high-quality results out of Eduardo Rodriguez (2.24 ERA) and Michael Soroka (3.27 ERA). Ryne Nelson has thrown to a 2.36 ERA in the month of May and Merrill Kelly seems to be regaining his form a bit, as well.

But the Diamondbacks also expected to get much more out of both Brandon Pfaadt (5.60 ERA) and Zac Gallen (4.80 ERA). Pfaadt's poor numbers shifted him out of the rotation and into the bullpen, while Gallen simply continues to look like a shell of himself despite some positive starts here and there.

On paper, Arizona's rotation has over-performed expectations as a whole thus far. They've also pitched like a near-elite unit for about a month, with a fifth-best 3.06 rotational ERA in May. But they also pitched abysmally for a chunk of April, and several ill-timed blowups from Kelly and Nelson have inflated their respective ERAs quite a bit.

Essentially, the low-expectation arms have overperformed by a wide margin, while the expected contributors have struggled.

Diamondbacks bullpen: B+ (4.14 ERA)

May 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks closing pitcher Paul Sewald (38) throws a pitch against the Colorado Rockies during the ninth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images

I'm grading the Diamondbacks' bullpen on a significant curve. This group was expected to be a bottom-feeding unit in MLB, and they've performed much, much better to this point than that.

They're certainly not the best relief group in baseball, ranking 18th with a 4.14 ERA. Without James McCann's blowout earned runs, that number is 3.97, which would rank dead center of MLB.

Still missing their top two back-end arms in A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez — and running back many of the same arms from 2025 — they've exceeded expectations to a high degree.

Paul Sewald, who has had a decent share of poor outings, has only blown one save, and is 12-for-13 in opportunities. His ERA is 3.72 thanks to some issues in non-save situations, but a 92% save conversion rate is about as good as one could possibly hope for out of a $1.5 million bridge closer.

There have been some other positive developments, as well.

Kevin Ginkel has a 3.05 ERA and sparkling peripherals in a fire man role; Ryan Thompson has a 3.12 ERA; Juan Morillo has a 2.61 ERA, eight holds and a save despite some recent wildness. Brandyn Garcia is throwing more strikes and has allowed one run in his first nine appearances. Jonathan Loaisiga (2.79 ERA) and Taylor Clarke (1.99 ERA) have been surprisingly high-value signings.

Diamondbacks' Offense: C-

May 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll (7) runs home on a Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) RBI against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images | Anna Carrington-Imagn Images

A recent hot streak from both Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll — and the early-return impact of top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt — are the only factors that have raised this grade above a D or F.

Arizona's offense simply hasn't looked like itself all year. The Diamondbacks haven't been hitting many homers (45 on the year; 25th in baseball), and they simply weren't scoring runs at all for a large portion of of April and early May.

That has risen of late. The D-backs have risen to 11th in team OPS (.717) and appear to be seeing and hitting the ball better, but they've also faced poor pitching from the Rockies and Giants for 10 games.

There is hope that Marte (who has improved his OPS over 100 points in a mere week's time) and Carroll (who leads the National League in OPS with a .979) can carry much of the load.

Geraldo Perdomo (.681 OPS) has struggled to produce, however, and if not for Waldschmidt's .354 batting average, Arizona's lineup would still be extremely top-heavy after Ildemaro Vargas began to cool down.

There's no way around it: this group has severely underperformed in 2026, though there is some hope that a higher gear is being unlocked in recent days.

Diamondbacks defense: B+

May 11, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (2) throw to first base against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Diamondbacks were the best fielding team in baseball in 2023 and 2024. That fell off in 2025. So far in 2026, Arizona's defense has looked much closer to its elite former state, but it's not quite at that lofty bar, yet.

There were some early hiccups, but the Diamondbacks currently rank ninth in MLB in team Outs Above Average (+2), ninth in Fielding Run Value (+1), and eighth in Defensive Runs Saved (+3). They are tied for the 10th-fewest errors (22) of any team in baseball.

Part of that has been thanks to the addition of Platinum Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado. But Ketel Marte is playing the some of the better defense of his career (+2 FRV, +3 OAA), and they've gotten quality looks out of Ildemaro Vargas and rookie Jose Fernandez, as well.

In the outfield, Carroll has been one of the rangiest right fielders in the game (+6 OAA, +3 FRV). Waldschmidt, though not known has a glove-first outfielder, has made several incredible plays in both center and left field.

The Diamondbacks' defense may not quite be where it used to be, but it's certainly trending in that direction.

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