Nolan Arenado
Nolan James Arenado is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. Arenado is widely recognized as one of the best defensive third basemen of all time. He is the only infielder to win the Rawlings Gold Glove Award in each of his first ten MLB seasons. He made his MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies in 2013 and was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2021 season. With the Cardinals, Arenado and teammate Paul Goldschmidt became a highly-regarded infield duo, each of them being named finalists for the National League MVP Award in 2022. In January 2026, he was traded for the second time in his career, joining the Diamondbacks.
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 include four total Fielding Bible Awards and three consecutive Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards, as well as six consecutive Rawlings Platinum Gloves. Offensively, he is a five-time Silver Slugger Award winner and has twice led the league in both home runs and runs batted in, and currently leads all major leaguers in RBIs since the start of the 2015 season.
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. 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.
In international competition, Arenado has represented both the United States and Puerto Rico. Arenado helped Team USA win their first World Baseball Classic gold medal in 2017, and additionally earned a silver medal in 2023. For the upcoming 2026 tournament, he will represent Puerto Rico.
Early life
Nolan James Arenado was born in Newport Beach, California, and raised in nearby Lake Forest, an Orange County city 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. The two were teammates in 2019 and 2020.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. 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, and 33 runs scored.
As a senior, Arenado batted.517,.615 on-base percentage, five home runs, 14 doubles, and a triple, and was again named to the Los Angeles Times All-Star team. He committed to attend Arizona State University on a college baseball scholarship.
Professional career
Draft and minor leagues (2009–12)
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 Single-A South Atlantic League, where he posted a.308 batting average and 41 doubles.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 High-A 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, Arenado was named the Most Valuable Player of the Arizona Fall League after hitting.388 with six home runs and 33 RBI. In 163 games combined in the California League and AFL in 2011, Arenado batted.315 with 201 base hits, 155 RBI, 26 home runs and 44 doubles. Playing for the Tulsa Drillers of the Double-A Texas League in 2012, he was again named to appear in the All-Star Futures Game. Arenado finished the year with a.285 batting average, 12 home runs, and 56 RBI.
Colorado Rockies (2013–2020)
2013−14
Despite a strong spring training showing in 2013, the Rockies optioned Arenado to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League to start the season. Through April 28, he batted.364, 1.059 on-base plus slugging percentage, three home runs, and 21 RBI with Colorado Springs. At that point, Colorado promoted him to the major league club, and designated Chris Nelson for assignment to make room on the roster.Arenado went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. He recorded his first three MLB hits in his second game—including his first MLB home run off of pitcher Josh Wall—in a 12–2 win versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. In his sixth game, he hit his first major league grand slam and second career home run off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price. Arenado's defensive dominance translated smoothly to the major leagues, as ESPN.com published on September 7 that he would have ranked second for a hypothetical National League Defensive MVP Award. He trailed only shortstop Andrelton Simmons for the league lead in Defensive Runs Saved, 38–30. He appeared in 133 major league games and slashed.267/.301/.405 with 10 home runs and 52 RBI. Defensively, he led NL third basemen in range factor both per game and per nine innings, and was second in putouts, assists and double plays turned.
On October 29, 2013, Arenado became the first NL rookie to win a Rawlings Gold Glove Award at third base, and the first in both major leagues since Frank Malzone won in the American League in 1957. Arenado tied for seventh place with Evan Gattis in the NL Rookie of the Year Award voting which was won by José Fernández with Arenado receiving the most votes as a third baseman.
The first multi-home run game of Arenado's career occurred on April 5, 2014, against Brandon McCarthy of the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 9–4 Rockies win. On May 8, Arenado hit safely in his 28th consecutive game to break the Rockies' franchise hit streak record, which Michael Cuddyer set the previous season. On May 23, Arenado suffered a mallet fracture of his left middle finger on a headfirst slide into second base in a game against the Atlanta Braves, and was subsequently placed on the 15-day disabled list.
Arenado missed 37 games due to the fracture and returned on June 28. He earned his first career NL Player of the Week Award for the week ending August 24. He batted.545 with a 1.645 OPS and 12 hits, three doubles, one triple, two home runs, three RBI, and six runs scored. Due to a chest contusion and early onset pneumonia, Arenado missed additional time at the end of the season. On the year, he batted.287/.328/.500, hitting 18 home runs and driving in 61 runs. He won his second Gold Glove Award despite playing in just 111 games.
2015
In 2015, Arenado earned his second NL Player of the Week Award on June 28, hitting a major league-leading three multi-home runs games in six games, seven home runs and 14 RBI. He also scored 10 times, second-highest in the major leagues. He became an MLB All-Star for the first time as a National League reserve at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. At the time his selection was announced, he was fifth in the majors in home runs with 24 and led in RBI with 68. He had hit more home runs in road games than at Coors Field, more RBI and posted higher on-base and slugging percentages. Playing against the San Francisco Giants on September 5, Arenado homered in his sixth consecutive game, breaking the Rockies' team record of five which Dante Bichette and Larry Walker shared. He won his first NL Player of the Month award in September, batting.339 and leading the major leagues with 11 home runs, 32 RBI, and 79 total bases. He collected an NL-leading 38 hits and was second in the league with.705 SLG.For the 2015 season, Arenado tied Bryce Harper for the NL home run title with 42, and led the National League with 130 RBI and 354 total bases. In addition, he batted.287 with a.323 OBP,.575 SLG,.898 OPS, 43 doubles, and 11 sacrifice flies on his way to winning his first Silver Slugger Award for third basemen. He was the first Rockies player to lead the NL in home runs since Walker hit 49 in 1997 and the first to lead the majors in RBI since Andrés Galarraga with 150 in 1996. Additionally, Arenado set a major league record for extra base hits by a third baseman in one season with 89, surpassing Chipper Jones' total of 87 in 1999.
On defense, Arenado won his third consecutive Gold Glove, and, for the first time, was the major league-wide winner among third basemen for both the Fielding Bible and the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards. He became the second Rockies player to win the Fielding Bible at any position, following shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame named Arenado the winner of their Professional Athlete of the Year Award for 2015. He received official consideration for the NL MVP Award for the first time, ranking eighth in voting behind Harper, Paul Goldschmidt, Joey Votto, Anthony Rizzo, Andrew McCutchen, Jake Arrieta, and Zack Greinke.