Why Eduardo Rodriguez is Having Such an Unexpectedly Elite Season

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is having one of the best seasons of his lengthy career, and it almost came out of nowhere.

There were reasons to believe Rodriguez would see much better results than his past two years in Arizona and the 5.00-plus ERAs that came with him. He came into camp lighter, healthier and more dialed in to his arsenal.

But it still wouldn't have been the belief of many — if any — that Rodriguez would be throwing to a 2.29 ERA and tossing a scoreless inning in the All-Star Game.

Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen knows this.

"If we backed up 365 days ago and you guys were asking me about Eduardo Rodriguez, what would you have been saying to me?" Hazen said, speaking to Arizona Sports 98.7's Wolf & Luke Show.

"There's nobody nobody on planet Earth, including myself... that would have looked us in the face and said 'Eduardo Rodriguez is gonna have one of the best first half of any Diamondback pitcher in history and is gonna pitch in the All-Star Game next year.

"That just wouldn't have been said, and he carried us and he's dominated," Hazen said.

So, how exactly is this possible? What changed for Rodriguez? Hazen offered some insight:

How Eduardo Rodriguez became Diamondbacks' 2026 ace

Arizona Diamondbacks Eduardo Rodriguez — Jul 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez in the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's not some sort of complex formula, Hazen said.

"It's actually pretty simple. He's evolved as a pitcher. He's using he's using all of his stuff. He was very heavy fastball dominant. He's always had a really good fastball. He was throwing a fastball way too much in the past, so he's now mixing all of his stuff. That mix is creating uncertainty for the hitters.

"He doesn't strike out ten guys a night; it's not raw, blow-you-away with stuff, but it's in the evolution of some of these guys. ... Their advantage is their ability to pitch, throw multiple pitches, command their stuff, not get rattled when you got first and third and nobody out. That's the separator skill and you have to use it to your advantage."

Rodriguez is certainly not posting high strikeout numbers. In fact, he's striking out the fewest batters of his career. His K/9 rate is a mere 6.24, which translates to a below-average 17.1%.

But his pitch usage definitely does align with Hazen's comments. Rodriguez threw his four-seam 43% of the time in 2024 and 47% of the time in 2025. That has dropped to 40% this season, with his changeup taking over 27% of his mix. He's also introduced a 13%-utilized curveball and nearly matched that offering's usage with his cutter.

The four-seam has been effective in a somewhat reduced role. Opponents are hitting .196 against it with an expected batting average of .246. The changeup is performing similarly, with a .195 average and .241 expected average.

"All of those things that are setting off the hitters timing, or their ability to sit on a particular pitch is creating more doubt," Hazen said. "If you're not [Brewers ace] Jacob Misiorowski, the whole game is creating doubt for the hitter, so they can't just sit on something.

"[Rodriguez has] done a much better job of that. ... These guys that don't have pure stuff to blow hitters away as they get older, they continually need to evolve to keep the hitters off-balance. These guys in the league know everything about everybody now. You're not sneaking up on anybody, so now now it becomes creating the best mix you can."

And yes, Rodriguez has an expected ERA of 5.06. Yes, his FIP is 4.11. But even future regression can't take away what he's accomplished in the first half of 2026: an 8-3 record, sparkling run-prevention results, and his first career All-Star berth at age 33.

And the Diamondbacks have needed every inning of it.

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