Have the Arizona Diamondbacks done enough to inspire optimism within their fan base?
The 2026 Major League Baseball regular season is down to its final days, and the Arizona Diamondbacks' time to secure a spot in the postseason is running razor-thin.
At the time of writing, the Diamondbacks are four games behind the San Diego Padres for third place in the National League Wild Card standings — the final slot that gets admitted for October baseball.
A four-game deficit to overcome with only six games remaining is going to take more than a near-perfect effort from Arizona the rest of the way; it is also going to take some luck. Given where the Diamondbacks find themselves at this juncture of the season, it is worth revisiting how fans of this team felt heading into the season.
Reasonably optimistic
Recently, The Athletic revisited its survey of fans of MLB organizations that gathered percentages regarding how optimistic they were about their favorite teams.
Now, with playoff baseball upon us, The Athletic has taken the 15 teams who have locked up a playoff spot or are in the realm of securing one in time for the second part of the survey, which polls fans on how optimistic they are that their team of choice will win the World Series.
Those results are not out yet, but The Athletic did share the results of the fan bases from the 15 contenders. Regarding the Diamondbacks, confidence was expressed, but within reason.
Fans of the Diamondbacks ranked 10th among the 15 teams, with 71.3% demonstrating optimism. Arizona has not been to the postseason since 2023, when it lost the World Series in five games to the Texas Rangers.
In 2024, the Diamondbacks finished with an 89-73 record, but they finished below .500 last year (80-82).
This season provided another chance to succeed, and with many returners. Long-tenured individuals such as general manager Mike Hazen, manager Torey Lovullo and All-Star second Ketel Marte all remain, though the future of Marte with the organization has been in question for quite some time.
On paper, the Diamondbacks are talented. They have Marte, Corbin Carroll and others. But this team has been lacking in areas such as starting pitching, and fans are aware of the roster deficiencies.
Even with a recent World Series appearance, there is also a chance fans are becoming weary of Hazen and Lovullo leading the charge. Both have been with the organization for a decade, and in that time, Arizona has only had two playoff appearances.
Time will soon tell if the Diamondbacks get in as a Wild Card team, but nearly 30% of the fans who participated in the survey have made their pessimism known.
