There's Only One Right Answer For Diamondbacks' 2026 Team Cy Young

The Arizona Diamondbacks had their fair share of surprising results in 2026, despite ultimately falling short of a postseason berth for the third year in a row.

Those surprises — mostly — centered around a pitching staff that quickly flipped from a fatal flaw to a team strength.

But of the pitchers who contributed to that turnaround, only one is deserving of the Diamondbacks' team Cy Young award this season.

It simply has to be left-handed veteran starter Eduardo Rodriguez. Here's why:

Eduardo Rodriguez should be Diamondbacks' 2026 Cy Young

Sep 6, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (57) warms up. before the game against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If, ahead of the season, one were to express that Rodriguez was Arizona's most impactful arm this year, that might lead to some negative conclusions.

After all, Rodriguez pitched poorly in both 2024 and 2025, posting back-to-back seasons with 5.00-plus ERAs and consistently battling injury.

But that was not the case for the southpaw this season.

Rodriguez showed up to Spring Training in stronger physical shape, dropping over 20 pounds. He was fresh off an exceptional performance in the World Baseball Classic, leading Team Venezuela to its first-ever title in that tournament.

There was optimism for that success to parlay itself into a stronger year. What Rodriguez produced was much more than a simple bounce-back.

The left-hander pitched to a 2.89 ERA in 2026, which led the Diamondbacks' rotation. He did not miss a single game, delivering 32 starts and 189.2 innings — his most since 2019.

His fastball-changeup combo was a weapon for him all season, helping add up to an overall a Pitching Run Value figure of +18 according to Statcast.

Granted, it's easy to point out some of his peripheral metrics and suggest he was the benefactor of good batted ball luck.

That suggestion may not be entirely false — as evidenced by a 4.27 expected ERA and 3.89 Fielding Independent Pitching — but it's also not completely honest. Though he was not a strikeout-dependent arm and relied on contact, that contact was not particularly hard.

Rodriguez's average exit velocity against was 87.2 MPH, an 83rd-percentile figure. His hard-hit rate (balls hit 95 MPH or sharper) was just 32.8% and in the 89th percentile. He also had a knack for situational pitching all year, stranding over 80% of baserunners.

Pitcher wins are not the stat they once were, but there is something to be said for his 16-7 individual record, as well as Arizona's overall 23-9 record in games started by the left-hander.

There is no other choice.

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