Rockies Year in Review: Nolan Arenado

Today, we are featuring Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado.

Here at Rox Pile, we are starting a player review for each and every player that suited up in a Colorado Rockies uniform this season. This series will be going all the way up until Dec. 16 with player profiles posted every day.

You can’t say enough about the job Nolan Arenado did this season for the Colorado Rockies. He was the complete player, both offensively and defensively. During his third-year in the Majors, Nolan went above and beyond with the bat, producing more than we’d ever expect. He went on to appear in his first MLB All-Star Game, thanks to a late push prior to the Midsummer Classic.

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Originally at the start of the 2015 season, I personally had Arenado hovering around the 15-20 home run mark. Not only did he accomplish that, he basically doubled that prediction. Nolan developed into a superstar right before our eyes, mashing 42 home runs accompanied by 130 RBI’s — leading the Majors in RBI’s while finishing third in home runs.

With Troy Tulowitzki out of the picture, Nolan Arenado has taken over as the face of the Rockies’ franchise and rightfully so. Colorado’s second-round pick, 59th overall in the 2009 draft, is pretty good with the glove himself. Nolan has been nominated for yet another Rawlings Gold Glove due to his impressive play on the field. Not to mention, Arenado added some more hardware to his collection, winning the Fielding Bible award for the third base position.

Jumping back to Nolan’s batting statistics for the 2015 season. The 25-year-old slashed at a line of .287/.323/.575 with 43 doubles, four triples, 42 home runs and 130 RBI’s. The new Statcast averages provide an interesting prospective when looking at individual players’ statistics. Here’s a couple for Nolan; the average launch speed off his bat was 91.98 MPH, the average distance of a hit was 238.72 and the average height in feet was 41.55.

Nolan Arenado has always been known for his defensive game, yet he countered that with a brilliant offensive performance in 2015, developing into an all-around player. As for his defensive abilities, the native of Newport Beach, California was dominant with the glove again, as noted above regarding the nomination for another Gold Glove followed by the Fielding Bible award.

Arenado committed 17 errors in 507 chances — 1362.0 innings. Arenado led all third baseman in assists (385) as well as double-plays turned (42). As far as anticipation goes, Arenado is one of the best I’ve ever seen. His knack to get to the ball and make incredible throws day after day is becoming a given for the Rockies’ fan base — a treat to see.

Overall, Nolan Arenado is a budding superstar in today’s league, whether you know about him already or not.

Overall Grade: A+