The Minor League Signing the D-backs Should Be Loudly Celebrating

It was a minor league signing that might have flown under the radar this offseason, but every fan of the Arizona Diamondbacks likely knows his name by now.

Veteran utility infielder Ildemaro Vargas, in his (technically) fourth major league stint with the D-backs, returned to the organization on a second-straight MiLB deal in the heart of December. Five months later, he's leading the team in most major offensive categories.

And he does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

During Wednesday night's win over the Chicago White Sox, Vargas crushed two home runs, bringing in five RBI. Through 17 games, Vargas has five homers — only one shy of his career-best in a single season. He's hitting .364. His OPS is 1.079. And he's not doing this off the back of pure luck, either.

"Vargy, I mean, I love Vargy. There's no mystery to that," manager Torey Lovullo said. "He's just a great piece for a manager to have. He's very versatile. He's engaged. He's shown a high baseball IQ. We've watched him grow up several years through the times that he's been here.

"He just brings a steadiness to this ball club. ... It's very difficult to play inside of that role. And right now, he's on a heater and we're going to enjoy that run with him. He's going to continue to get the opportunity to go out there and perform."

Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas surging into 2026 season

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

It's easy to look at a hitter who still does not technically qualify — though he has played nearly every day since April began — and expect to see underlying metrics that do not represent the on-field success. That is not the case with Vargas.

According to Statcast, the 34-year-old switch-hitter has a .358 expected batting average — the second-highest in the major leagues behind only Yordan Alvarez. He's avoiding swing-and-miss (20.7% whiff rate) and strikeouts (13.3% K rate), and is squaring up the ball nearly 40% of the time.

Both of his home runs Wednesday night traveled well beyond 400 feet. Both came off the bat well above 100 MPH. Vargas is not living on cheap hits or favorable ballpark dimensions.

"He's always had, I thought, really good power as a right-handed batter, and he's just maintained that," Lovullo said. "I think he's kind of perfected the right-handed swing. He's made a really good adjustment all the way around on the pitch selection from both sides of the plate.

"For me, that's always an indicator that somebody's maturing. And when you can do that, you're going to be able to find yourself in some advantage counts. You're going to be able to drive the baseball."

Lovullo said Vargas' homers helped put a charge into Arizona's dugout. After Vargas' second homer, Arizona tacked on five more runs in a well-rounded night of offense by the entire lineup.

Vargas has never posted a full-season OPS above .712, and has hit .254/.294/.374 for his major league career. It would certainly be difficult to believe the infielder might maintain a 1.000-plus number, but there's also something to be said for how strongly Vargas has seized the opportunity in front of him in his 10th major league season.

"Throughout [my] career, [I've] been waiting for an opportunity, and [I'm] super excited to take advantage of it," Vargas said, through a translator, to the D-backs.TV postgame broadcast.

He's also playing solid defense at a variety of positions. Vargas is part of a platoon at first base, while also quite capable at various infield spots. He's been worth positive value in Defensive Runs Saved, Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value.

"Super happy that [I'm] able to contribute with the team," he said. "Super excited about what's going on with the team in general, and I'm super thankful to God for the opportunity and the hot streak."

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