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Scottsdale, Ariz. — Nolan Arenado was drafted by the Colorado Rockies second round of the 2009 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut on April 28, 2013, and the rest is history.
He spent eight years with the Rockies and enjoyed many highs – including eight Gold Gloves, four Platinum Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, five All-Star appearances, two playoff runs, and numerous jaw-dropping offensive and defensive spectacles – and plenty of lows. After an ugly public feud with the Rockies front office in 2020, Arenado was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on February 1, 2021 – less than two years after signing a record eight-year, $260 million contract extension.
Arenado played five years in St. Louis, and still enjoyed plenty of highs and lows. He won two more Gold Gloves, one more Silver Slugger, made three more All-Star appearances, went to two more playoffs, and continued to make jaw-dropping offensive and defensive plays. But after a down year in 2025 – both for the Cardinals and for Arenado – he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, marking his return to the NL West.
“I’m really excited about [returning to the NL West],” he said. “Obviously, I know the division well, but there’s a lot of new players and new pitchers and stuff. And obviously I know the ballparks really well. I grew up in this division, so it should be fairly easy getting adjusted to it.”
And, in true Arenado fashion, he has high expectations for his new team and his new season.
“I think this team is really good,” he said. “This offense is a Top-10 offense without me, but I think I could really help it. I’m trying to make some adjustments that I feel can really help me play the way I know I can. I always keep those goals to myself, but I do have hefty goals and I don’t think I’m ever going to change that.”
However, he does have some fond memories of his time in Colorado.
“Obviously, I think the group of players that I was with – starting off with Todd [Helton] and [Troy Tulowitzki] and [Dustin] Morneau and some of those guys – were awesome,” he said.
“And then playing with [Carlos González], [Trevor] Story, Charlie [Blackmon] and DJ [LeMahieu]. I see the players now, and I’m like ‘Man, I have no idea who any of these players are.’
“And so just thinking about the past with those players, it was a really special group,” he continued. “The more I look back on it… it’s funny, everywhere I go, even the Diamondbacks now, they’re like, ‘Man, that team you guys had was unbelievable. It was so hard to pitch to. It was a pain to face you guys.’ And now when I look back on it, it was probably one of the better offenses I’ve ever played on.”
Even though that was nearly a decade ago, he still keeps in touch with many of his teammates, including Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela, whom he played with from 2017-2021.
“When I see ‘Free,’ I always say hi. Same with ‘Senza,’” he said. “Those guys mean a lot to me. They were young when they came through, and they did such a great job pitching when I was there. I want healthy success for them. But I talk to Charlie all the time. I talk with DJ probably every day. Story, too. We still trash talk.”
And not only does he still have connections with some players, but he and new Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer also go way back.
“I played with him in Double-A,” Arenado said. “I was young at the time. I was a pain in the butt at that time. But we got along great because he loved that I worked. And he was a big worker, too. He took ground balls everyday. And the one thing about Schaeff – there were times where he wasn’t starting in those games, but he was still working every day and never complained. He showed up to work.”
Schaeffer also looked back fondly on their time together with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.
“I remember just enjoying watching him play,” Schaeffer said. “I mean, he was the young kid coming up; I was, at that time, the old guy that sat on the bench, and he played one of my positions.
“I always thought he was the best practicer, and I loved it,” Schaeffer continued. “He was the first guy I ever saw other than myself show up like that — and do it almost more than me — and that’s why he’s so great. He had that mixed with talent and that’s why he’s a future Hall of Famer. He’s unbelievable. He’s probably my favorite baseball player that I’ve ever seen.”
Arenado is entering what could be the final stages of his career, and has been in the conversation for the Hall of Fame since his early years in Colorado.
But he’s not focused on that quite yet.
“Being in the conversation is great, but I don’t even think about those things,” he said. “I feel like I’ve got a whole season ahead of me here [in Arizona]. I’ve got to go out there and play well – I have high expectations for this team, and I have high expectations for myself, and we’ll cross that bridge when we need to.”
But what’s a Nolan Arenado profile without some defensive gems?
I asked him to name his favorite plays, and here they are:
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