Ildemaro Vargas’s 27-game hit streak: an analysis

TL;DR

Ildemaro Vargas's hit streak ended at 27 games, the second longest in Arizona Diamondbacks history. His performance this season has been particularly notable, as he batted .404 with 99 plate appearances.

Key points

Ildemaro Vargas's hit streak ended at 27 games.
This is the second longest streak in Diamondbacks history.
Vargas batted .404 during the streak.
Luis Gonzalez holds the franchise record with a 30-game streak.
Only three other players reached 20-game streaks in the last 20 years.

Arizona DiamondbacksSan Diego Padres

Arizona Diamondbacks' #06 Ildemaro Vargas celebrates after hitting a home run during the MLB World Tour Mexico City Series game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres at Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium in Mexico City on April 26, 2026. (Photo by YURI CORTEZ / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images And, so, it ends. By going 0-for-4 today, Vargas’s streak ended at 27 games. That’s still the second longest in franchise history. You have to go all the way back to the early stages of the franchise’s sophomore season in 1999, to find the only bigger streak. Club legend Luis Gonzalez reached 30 games between April 11 and May 18 that year. But, as we’ll see, there are grounds for thinking Ildemaro’s may be more impressive, given the offensive environment of the time. It’s been a while since any D-back has come close to approaching Gonzo. Over the past twenty years, just three reached 20 games: Paul Goldschmidt (26 in 2013-14), Ketel Marte (21 in 2024) and Vargas. Here’s the top dozen. View Link What’s most impressive is, nobody saw this coming. Of all the people potentially to challenge the record in 2026, he was likely among the longest odds. ? Sure. Ketel Marte? Of course, especially given his previous 21-game streak. They have a far better track record. For most of the other entries on the chart above, the players concerned were well known to be decent hitters. Even the notoriously light-hitting Tony Womack came in to the 2000 season with a .278 career average. But at the end of last year, when the streak was just three games old, Vargas was a career .249 hitter. His previous high hit streak before this? Just ten games, in 2022 when he was with Washington. The 24-game streak at the start of the season makes it particularly impressive. That’s the longest streak to open a campaign for fifty years. Ron LeFlore of reached thirty at the beginning of 1976. Doing so also allows Vargas to get into some uncharted territory elsewhere. At the end of the streak yesterday, he was batting .404 on the season with 99 PA in the books. That’s comfortably the deepest into the season that an Arizona player has been able to post a .400 average. Here are the five previous D-backs with the most PA to reach the .400 mark (only stats at the end of the game being counted):

Q&A

What is Ildemaro Vargas's hit streak record with the Arizona Diamondbacks?

Ildemaro Vargas's hit streak ended at 27 games, making it the second longest in Diamondbacks history.

How does Vargas's hit streak compare to Luis Gonzalez's record?

Luis Gonzalez holds the franchise record with a 30-game hit streak, achieved in 1999, while Vargas's streak is the second longest.

What was Vargas's batting average during his hit streak?

During his hit streak, Ildemaro Vargas batted .404 with 99 plate appearances.

When was the last time a Diamondbacks player led MLB in batting average?

The last time a Diamondbacks player led MLB in batting average was Paul Goldschmidt on August 18, 2015.