Introduction
As Spring Training was getting underway this year, I wrote up an article on how the Diamondbacks might be able to improve themselves defensively as they attempted to navigate their way back into the playoffs. That argument centered on two changes: roster changes/upgrades and individual improvement from several younger players becoming increasingly comfortable and confident in their respective positions. It’s something of a bugaboo that I’ve been harping on for over a year now. In my opinion, excellent fielding not only protects pitchers but is also some of the most entertaining and rewarding parts of the game as it allows the players to demonstrate their otherworldly athleticism. Now that we’ve gotten past the quarter pole of the 2026 season, we have enough data to start teasing out some trends and conclusions on how those changed dynamics have played out to this point in the season. Overall, depending on your preferred metric, the D-Backs have definitely been better defensively so far with Baseball Reference putting them at third in the league by defensive runs saved (DRS), fifth by outs above average (OAA), and Fangraphs measuring them out at seventh – all of which represent significant improvements year–over–year.
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Roster Improvements
This dynamic was probably the one I felt most confident about as it felt like a no-brainer to improve two lackluster defenders in Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez with excellent ones in Carlos Santana and Nolan Arenado respectively. Well, you can take this as exhibit #983 of why I’m not a baseball general manager. Santana has been functionally a non-factor this season after straining an adductor all the way back in the beginning of April while Arenado has been anywhere from excellent to mediocre depending on the outlet. Instead, the team has leaned on rookie Jose Fernandez and Ildemaro Vargas to fill in at first base with surprisingly positive results – especially considering it’s neither of their natural positions. Fernandez came up in the minors mostly as a shortstop and third baseman with just 17 appearances at first in the minor leagues, but he’s been able to utilize the excellent range that made him such an exciting shortstop prospect to hold his own at first base. Meanwhile, Vargas is having a career year by nearly every measure and his glovework has been no exception with excellent DRS ratings. It should be noted that both Vargas and Fernandez are not well rated by Fangraph’s version, but we’ll have to save those differences for another time.
Individual Improvements
Once again, both Geraldo Perdomo and Gabriel Moreno have been defensive standouts for the team as they continue to cement themselves as stars in their own right. But in my article from February, I highlighted that Moreno’s bigger issue has been staying healthy and on the field rather than any type of skill gap. Sadly, he has once again struggled with that aspect of his game by missing nearly three weeks of action already – this time for an oblique strain to go along with his long list of maladies. Meanwhile, even as Perdomo has struggled to regain the MVP-caliber offensive contribution he displayed last year, he’s managed to (mostly) maintain his defensive prowess. This is another situation in which different ratings land in very different places. According to Baseball Savant, Perdomo has stepped back slightly by OAA and arm strength while Fangraphs has seen him accumulate nearly half of his rating from last year. Regardless of the specific nuances though, it seems like both of them have mostly maintained their defensive skills to buoy slow starts offensively – here’s to hoping they can keep it up for the rest of the season.
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