Nolan Arenado

Nolan James Arenado (born April 16, 1991) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Arenado is widely recognized as an elite third baseman, both offensively and defensively.

He is the only infielder to win the Rawlings Gold Glove Award in each of his first ten MLB seasons.

In 2008, Arenado's junior year, El Toro won the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section championship.

He was named to the Los Angeles Times` All-Star team after leading his division with a .456 batting average, 32 runs batted in (RBI), and 33 runs scored.

As a senior, Arenado batted .517, .615 on-base percentage (OBP), five home runs (HR), 14 doubles, and a triple, and was again named to the Los Angeles Times` All-Star team.

He committed to attend Arizona State University (ASU) on a college baseball scholarship.

A native of Newport Beach, California, Arenado attended El Toro High School in Lake Forest before becoming the Rockies' second-round selection in the 2009 MLB draft.

An eight-time MLB All-Star, his defensive accolades (in addition to his ten Gold Gloves) include four total (and three consecutive) Fielding Bible Awards and three consecutive Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards, as well as six consecutive Rawlings Platinum Gloves.

The Colorado Rockies selected Arenado in the second round with the 59th overall selection of the 2009 MLB draft.

Rather than attend ASU, he signed with the Rockies, and made his professional baseball debut with the Casper Ghosts of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, where he batted .300.

In 2010, Arenado played for the Asheville Tourists of the Class A South Atlantic League, where he posted a .308 batting average and 41 doubles.

During his minor league career, Arenado was a two-time All-Star Futures Game selection, and led the minor leagues in RBI in 2011 with 155 over 163 total games.

Before the 2011 season, Baseball America ranked Arenado as the Rockies' third-best prospect and 80th overall.

He was highly acclaimed as a hitter, less so as a defender.

While playing for the Modesto Nuts of the Class A-Advanced California League, he began working harder on his defense.

While he had previously demonstrated exceptional arm strength and soft hands, they were neutralized by his inept footwork.

Arenado later recalled that he "had really bad feet," and "was too lazy," for which Modesto manager Jerry Weinstein relentlessly scolded him.

He tasked Arenado to take ground balls earlier than the other players and to move rapidly and precisely and maintain readiness at third base.

In addition, Arenado began lifting weights in earnest while pushing himself to improve.

The work ultimately gave him a combination of explosive vigor, ingenuity, and finesse that allowed him to cover large areas and make good long and short throws from postures ranging from upright to nearly laying down.

Along with Wilin Rosario, Arenado represented the Rockies at the 2011 All-Star Futures Game.

His first-half totals included a .283 batting average with six home runs and 42 RBI.

He finished the season with a .298 batting average and 20 home runs, leading the minor leagues with 122 RBI.

Later in the year, he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Arizona Fall League (AFL) after hitting .388 with six home runs and 33 RBI.

He made his MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies in 2013 and was traded to the Cardinals before the 2021 season.

Offensively, he is a five-time Silver Slugger Award winner and has twice led the league in both home runs and runs batted in (RBI), and currently leads all major leaguers in RBIs since the start of the 2015 season.

In 2016, Arenado became the youngest player in Rockies franchise history to reach 100 home runs.

He has hit for the cycle twice: once on June 18, 2017, and again on July 1, 2022.

He became the sixth player in history to finish off such a performance with a walk-off home run.

In 2017, he became the 11th major leaguer and first third baseman in history to drive in 130 or more runs in three successive seasons.

Arenado represents the United States national team in international competition.

In the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC), he helped win Team USA's first gold medal in a WBC tournament.

Arenado also participated in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Nolan James Arenado was born in Newport Beach, California, and raised in nearby Lake Forest, an Orange County city sandwiched between Irvine, Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills.

His father, Fernando, is of Cuban ancestry, and his mother, Millie, a native of Queens, New York, is of Cuban and Puerto Rican ancestry.

He has an older brother, Fernando Jr., and his younger brother, Jonah, was a corner infielder in the San Francisco Giants organization.

A first cousin, Josh Fuentes, is an infielder who has played for the Rockies.

Arenado grew up a Los Angeles Dodgers fan.

He attended El Toro High School in Lake Forest, and played shortstop on the school's baseball team with fellow future major leaguers Austin Romine and Matt Chapman.