Colorado Rockies Year in Review: Nolan Arenado’s arrival

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Outside of Colorado Rockies fans, it probably wasn’t terribly big news that third baseman Nolan Arenado made his season debut back on April 28th. Sure, some fans who keep track of top prospects might have noticed, but really, it was a Rockies thing.

Among Rockies fans thought, it was huge news. Many of us had identified him as the next big thing and a source of hope for a lineup that needed help at third base. He finally made his debut, and he brought all of the excitement we expected he would. But something funny happened…

…it was all about his defense. I guess for my part I figured he would be fine defensively, but I had no idea he would be star over there. I had no idea that he would become a star of the nightly Web Gems and eventually win a Gold Glove award as a rookie.

In a season that was otherwise characterized by another set of disappointments, Arenado’s fancy plays at third base stand out as a bright spot. Plays like this one.

And this one (and enjoy the walk-off home run while you’re watching):

When it comes to infusing some excitement into the Colorado Rockies, Arenado exceeded our expectations. He just didn’t do it exactly the way we thought he would. But between his astounding defense and his flashes of brilliance at the plate, he is definitely a highlight of the year that just passed.