PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks re-signing Ildemaro Vargas on a minor league contract has been one of the most impactful offseason moves in baseball when simply looking at the first four weeks of the season.
Vargas has already set a club record, starting the season with a 16-game hitting streak entering Wednesday. His hitting streak dating back to 2025 is up to 19 games.
The 34-year-old journeyman infielder has been the second most valuable member of the Diamondbacks by wins above replacement (via FanGraphs), only trailing Corbin Carroll.
For a club that has dealt with numerous injuries in the lineup, Vargas has played a critical role of making up the production while logging innings at first base, third base, second base and left field.
And this is a player whom Arizona has designated for assignment twice in the past, signed to multiple minor league deals and keeps finding his way back.
“Somehow we have a lifetime contract agreement with Ildemaro, even though I take him off the roster all the time and then re-sign him to minor league deals,” general manager Mike Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Wednesday.
“We’ve been going back since 2017 when we got here with him. He works so hard. He’s got great energy. He’s so positive. All the guys love him. He’s just one of those guys in the clubhouse.”
Entering Wednesday, his 1.004 OPS ranked sixth in MLB (minimum 60 plate appearances), second among players who signed with their teams this offseason. His .361 batting average only trailed Andy Pages of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo called Vargas the team’s best hitter right now.
In many ways, it has been a continuation of his winter ball production, as he hit .370 in 181 plate appearances for Cardenales de Lara in his home country of Venezuela.
“The opportunity to play every year in my country, in winter league, has really helped me a lot,” Vargas told Arizona Sports via Spanish interpreter. “Since I’m not a player that takes 500 or 600 at-bats, I go to Venezuela, I keep playing, I prepare myself physically, and here I am. I bring all of that here and thank God I had a good spring training and I’m having a good start to the season.”
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Will this last?
His 3% walk rate and .380 batting average on balls in play (babip) suggest some regression will come. That’s not to say this has been a fluke, because his line drive rate (33%) and expected stats (.358 xBA) are all impressive.
But that’s not the main point.
During a stretch of the season when the Diamondbacks’ roster has been vulnerable due to injuries and while star players Ketel Marte and Perdomo have started the year slowly, Vargas has been a mainstay. No matter what else happens this year, he is one of the biggest reasons why the D-backs started 13-10.
“He’s a very counted on player, probably known more for his defense,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “Now he’s figured out the art of hitting, setting up pitchers and being patient, not afraid to hit with a strike on him. It’s translated into a very good start. He’s going to get opportunities to continue going out there and having productive at-bats.
“He’s always been a good player. Just took him a little while to figure it out.”
Hit the varGAS pic.twitter.com/r0uoaRJUgH
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 5, 2026
Ildemaro Vargas’ long road back to Arizona
Vargas’ career has been an adventure. He played 30 games of independant ball for the Bridgeport Bluefish before first joining the D-backs as a minor leaguer in 2015.
Vargas made his MLB debut in 2017, nearly a decade after signing his first contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008. He received his first extended run in MLB in 2019 with the Diamondbacks, was designated for assignment in 2020, returned to Arizona via trade in 2021 and was let go again.
He came back to the franchise on a minor league deal for 2025, did not make the club out of camp and opted out of his contract in May. Timing was everything, as the D-backs needed an infielder right after Vargas had opted out. The two sides reunited, and he spent the rest of the year on the big league roster.
After a productive season as a backup infielder, Vargas signed another minor league deal with Arizona this past winter. This time, he made the team out of camp, leaving no doubt with his spring performance.
“You always root for guys to be able to put some of those things together,” Hazen said. “As he’s gotten older, the experience definitely matters here, as well. He is certainly not afraid to hit in any situation. When you have runners on base, he’s going to come up and he’s going to put the barrel on the ball.”
So, what keeps Vargas coming back to this organization?
Clearly part of it is mutual trust that brings these parties together, along with opportunity, but there is something else.
“When I’m here I feel like I’m home,” Vargas said. “It’s a team that has had the same people since I’ve been here. Ketel (Marte), (Geraldo) Perdomo, Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas. I think that’s one of the reasons I came back here, because I feel like family, I feel at home.”
Ildemaro Vargas – Arizona Diamondbacks (3) pic.twitter.com/pnjHkFN9Sq
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) April 22, 2026
Diamondbacks appreciate Vargas’ vibes
Hazen called Vargas the type of veteran who brings a positive element to a baseball team over 162 games, whether he is batting .360 or making his teammates laugh around the batting cage.
Perdomo, known as the vocal leader of the Diamondbacks, said Vargas brings even more positive vibes than he does.
“Something that we love as a player and as a person is the vibe he brings to the team,” Perdomo told Arizona Sports. “He always brings energy and we love and we appreciate that. That’s what we need as a team.”
Veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado added, “He’s really fun to be around and just a really good player. He puts the ball in play, hits the ball hard and he can play multiple positions. He’s just been really solid, and it’s been really a joy to play with him.”
When asked the biggest difference between 2017 and 2026 Vargas, the veteran said maturity, naturally. But most specifically, he mentioned learning to better prepare himself whether he is in or out of the lineup on a given day.
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