Ildemaro Vargas' Unbelievable Month Earns Him Even Bigger Award

What the Diamondbacks infielder did in April was exceptional.

Apr 13, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ildemaro Vargas (6) throws to first base in the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Arizona Diamondbacks utility infielder Ildemaro Vargas was already fresh off his first National League Player of the Week Award, but that honor was upscaled on Monday.

After an exceptional month of April, Vargas was given the National League Player of the Month award for his efforts — the first such honor of his career, as well. The switch-hitting veteran slashed .372/.393/.663 in April.

Vargas rode a franchise-record 24-game hitting streak to open the year, which was 27 games (second in franchise history) dating back to 2025. Though that streak came to an end on Saturday, Vargas did hit safely in every game he played in the previous month.

Ildemaro Vargas wins NL Player of the Month

Apr 19, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ildemaro Vargas in the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Vargas' current average of .382 leads all of major league baseball by nearly 40 points. His 1.063 OPS ranks third in the majors, behind only Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez and Yankees first baseman Ben Rice.

Vargas' six home runs this season already tie a career-high. One more would put him over the edge for a season.

He hit all six of them, as well as two triples and six doubles, in the month of April, and brought in 19 RBI. He became the third D-backs hitter to have four-plus games of three or more RBI throughout the first 30 games of a season, joining Paul Goldschmidt in 2015 and Eugenio Suarez in 2025.

Vargas' numbers have not been fake, either. His expected stats, though still a bit lower than his raw production, suggest he's hitting the ball extremely hard and making high-quality contact. His .350 expected batting average is a 99th-percentile number, and his .512 expected slugging percentage is in the 88th percentile.

Apr 14, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ildemaro Vargas (6) celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run home run during the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

An OPS well north of 1.000 is very likely not full-season sustainable, but that does not mean his success in the early portion is a result of luck. Vargas has been seeing and hitting the ball extremely well, with a late-career power surge along the way.

And he's doing it all while playing a variety of infield positions and providing top-tier positive energy in the clubhouse.

"It's so much fun to watch," teammate Tim Tawa said of Vargas to Todd Walsh in Mexico City. "He brings the best positive energy I've ever seen as a teammate. It's infectious, and we feed off that just seeing him play with so much joy, it's inspiring to me."

And, though Vargas' hit streak may have ended, he got right back into the hit column one game later. With a struggling top-order group, Vargas' efforts have been more than just eye candy. He's been an invaluable part of Arizona's team this year.