Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado (born April 16, 1991, Newport Beach, California, U.S.) is a professional baseball player considered to be one of the best all-around third basemen in Major League Baseball (MLB). An elite infielder, Arenado won the Gold Glove Award in each of his first 10 seasons. He made his MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies in 2013 and quickly became a fan favorite, excelling as an infielder and a hitter. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021.

Early life

Arenado is the second of three sons born to Fernando Arenado, who worked as a travel agent, and Millie Arenado, who was an insurance executive. His father hails from Cuba, and his mother is from Queens, New York City, with family roots in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Arenado’s younger brother, Jonah Arenado, is a former minor league baseball player, and his cousin Josh Fuentes played in the major leagues from 2019 to 2021. In a 2016 interview with the Denver Post, Arenado recalled how he honed his competitive skills by playing a variety of sports with his friends and family members:

I always wanted to be the best in my group. I wanted to be the alpha male. And they wanted to be the best, too. I mean, we’ve been going at it constantly since I was 5 years old.

Arenado attended El Toro High School in Lake Forest, California, where he primarily played shortstop on the varsity baseball team. He excelled as a hitter in his senior year, batting .517 with 14 doubles and 5 home runs in 87 at bats. He initially planned on attending Arizona State University on a baseball scholarship, but he decided to turn professional when the Colorado Rockies selected him in the second round of the 2009 MLB draft.

Young Colorado Rockies star

Arenado made his MLB debut with the Rockies in April 2013 at age 22. He was not much of a force offensively during his rookie season, hitting .267 with 10 home runs, but he was already a star on defense, winning the first of his 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards. Arenado’s offense improved in 2014, when he posted a .287 batting average with 18 home runs. His breakout season came in 2015, when he led the National League (NL) with 130 runs batted in (RBI) and tied Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals for the most home runs (42) in the NL. He repeated the feat in 2016, leading the NL with 133 RBI and tying Chris Carter of the Milwaukee Brewers with an NL-leading 41 home runs.

Arenado is known for his tireless work ethic and relentless preparation. He consistently impresses fans and players with his range at third base and his ability to make strong, accurate throws from off-balance positions. In a 2017 article for Yahoo! Sports, columnist Jeff Passan wrote:

Once upon a time, Arenado was a middling third baseman, with soft hands and a strong arm but plodding footwork that rendered the other two tools inert. Now, in an era ripe with great third basemen, Arenado is arguably the best.

In 2018 he led the NL with 38 home runs. That same year, Mike Schmidt, who is considered one of the best all-around third basemen in MLB history, told The New York Times, “In my opinion, Nolan Arenado is going to be the heir apparent to the all-time greatest third basemen. He puts up numbers that I never even dreamed of.” Despite his emerging stardom, Arenado was often uncomfortable in the spotlight, telling Sports Illustrated in 2019 that he sometimes suffers from panic attacks in public settings.

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Before the 2019 season, the Rockies signed him to an eight-year, $260 million contract extension, investing in Arenado after he led them to consecutive playoff appearances during the two previous seasons. However, as the Rockies went on to post a 71–91 record in 2019, Arenado soured on the team and claimed that the front office was not giving him the respect he felt he deserved.

A new career with the St. Louis Cardinals

In the spring of 2020 he asked to be traded, and the Rockies eventually accommodated his request, sending him to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for several prospects in 2021. As part of the deal, the Rockies agreed to pick up $51 million of Arenado’s salary.

Arenado was thrilled to join a team with a winning tradition. In his first season with the Cardinals, he continued to provide stellar defense, but his batting average dipped, hitting .255 with 34 home runs. He returned to form in 2022, posting a .293 batting average with 30 home runs and 103 RBI and finishing third in NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting. After the 2022 season, he decided not to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract, which could have led to even more money for him as a free agent. In a 2022 interview with The Athletic he explained why he chose to stay with the Cardinals:

I’ve grown to love the organization, I love my teammates, coaches, trainers. I feel like I fit really well with this team.…My family loves it. And the city of St. Louis, like I said, I just feel like I fit well there. I think they appreciate me and I just feel like I belong there and I love playing there.

His streak of 10 consecutive Gold Gloves came to an end in 2023, the first season he failed to win the award, and his production at the plate decreased again, batting .266 with 26 home runs. Arenado also struggled to produce offense during the playoffs. In eight postseason games though 2023, he had a .152 batting average with one home run in 33 at bats.