A Look Into Nolan Arenado’s Career to This Point

Nolan’s Career in Colorado

Arenado is one of the biggest draft steals of all-time. He was drafted in the second round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft out of El Toro High School in Lake Forest, California. He went on to become one of the greatest players in franchise history. Locking down the hot corner for almost a decade at 20th and Blake. Over eight seasons in Colorado, Arenado amassed a stellar 39.7 WAR. He was an All-Star every season from 2015 to 2023, excluding the 2020 COVID season. His exemplary defense earned him a Gold Glove in every season from 2013 (rookie season) to 2022.

From 2016-19, Arenado finished in the top-six in MVP voting. That also coincided with an incredible run of durability, in which Arenado played in at least 155 games in each season. Two of his best seasons in purple came in 2015-16.

2015: .287/.323/.575, .898 OPS, 42 home runs, 130 RBI, 6.3 WAR

2016: .294/.362/.570, .932 OPS, 41 home runs, 133 RBI, 5.7 WAR

A Rockies Legend

On top of his otherworldly defensive play, Arenado was truly a top-five player in the MLB at this point in his career. Sadly, the Rockies finished nowhere near postseason contention for much of his time in Denver. A main reason why Arenado was eventually traded to St. Louis. But Arenado did bring success to Colorado before he left. Helping lead Colorado to its first back-to-back postseason appearances in franchise history in 2017-18. Including a road victory in the 2018 Wild Card game against the Chicago Cubs. A fitting part of a special 2018 season in which the Rockies took the Los Angeles Dodgers to a game 163 to decide the National League West in search of their first division title in franchise history.

The ending of his career in Colorado devolves into a whole different tangent about the gross mismanagement of the Rockies during that time. But he provided great memories for nearly a decade to Rockies fans that didn’t have much else to root for during that span. The amazing tarp catch in San Francisco. His iconic Father’s Day cycle and many, many more of “Nolan Being Nolan”.

He will forever be a legend in Colorado and one of the greatest Rockies of all time.

The Arenado Era in St. Louis

Arenado was entering his age 30 season at the beginning of his St. Louis tenure and was still in the midst of his prime. Combined with the addition of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, the Cardinals immediately vaulted to World Series contenders with one of the best infields in the league. Unlike in 2015-16 with Colorado, Arenado’s great play was rewarded with postseason play in his first two seasons in St. Louis. However, both trips were short stays.

In 2021, the Cardinals lost in the NL Wild Card game, 3-0, to the Dodgers. In 2022, the Cardinals finished 93-69, good for first in the NL Central. This was far and away the best season in Arenado’s career when it comes to WAR.

2022: .293/.358/.533, .891 OPS, 30 home runs, 103 RBI, 7.9 WAR

However, that season also ended with a thud in a 2-0 series loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Cardinals big money bet in 2021 did not pay off. Arenado and Goldschmidt achieved zero postseason wins while with the Cardinals. The Cardinals have not been back to the postseason since 2022. Resulting in said rebuild for the Cards this offseason.

Arenado’s Postseason Struggles

Arenado had every right to be frustrated with how things were going in Colorado. The front office was routinely a mess and not aggressive. He had several MVP-worthy seasons wasted. But for his part, Arenado has struggled mightily in the postseason to this point. Over eight career postseason games with the Rockies and Cardinals, Arenado hit a paltry .152 with five hits, one home run, three runs scored, and three RBI across 35 plate appearances. Three of those hits came in the 2018 postseason with Colorado.

For all the high hopes at the beginning of Arenado’s career in St. Louis, he ends his Cardinals’ career with one hit and two Ks across 12 at-bats in three postseason games. A truly ironic turn of events considering how vocal Arenado was about the Rockies continued struggles and lack of action to add talent around him. Perhaps the grass isn’t always greener. But the Rockies have nobody feeling sorry for them. They are the ones who botched the terms of his long-term extension in 2019 and gave a generational player away for a cup of coffee.

Arenado doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. But like any great player who deals with postseason struggles, that narrative will continue to follow Arenado and be fuel to his critics until he changes it. He is now past his prime and in the bottom third of his career. The clock is ticking. Arenado deserves postseason success, and here’s hoping he finds it in the desert.

Dawn of Arenado in Arizona

Arenado is returning to the NL West, where it all began. The Diamondbacks are ready to contend, and Arenado joins a team that made the World Series as recently as 2023. He is coming off arguably the worst season of his career. Hitting .237/.289/.377 with a .666 OPS and just 12 home runs and 52 RBI. Perhaps most importantly, he finished below 144 games played (107) for the first time since 2014 (excluding the Covid season of 2020) due to various injuries. Additionally, it is now two straight seasons that Arenado has not made the All-Star team. After making it in every full season from 2015 to 2023.

The stats don’t lie. Arenado is not the same player he was offensively. He will never be a worry defensively. But he is certainly still plenty capable of putting together a great season with the Diamondbacks. Arenado has given a lot to the game of baseball during his career. In the latter half of it, hopefully he finds success again in Arizona and gets that postseason success monkey off his back once and for all.