Colorado Rockies: You need to see this Nolan Arenado swing
There’s a new video showcasing Colorado Rockies All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado swinging the bat, mashing a baseball, and showing absolutely no sign of a shoulder injury that slowed his production at the plate during the 2020 season.
MLB.com posted a video of Arenado taking batting practice under sunny skies and the swing had us ready for baseball season to begin again. Seeing Arenado take swings was beautiful, but seeing him swing more freely than he did during the majority of last season after he injured his shoulder making a diving defensive stop in Colorado’s fifth game of the shortened campaign. That injury limited Arenado to a career-low .253 batting average and an 84 OPS+, a number lower than every other season in his illustrious career after his rookie campaign of 2013.
However, that shoulder injury seems like ancient history after seeing this swing. And isn’t that good news for all of us looking to put 2020 in the rearview mirror?
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And yes, the video of Arenado’s swing was provided by Marcus Stroman, who accepted an $18.9 million qualifying offer from the New York Mets in November after opting out of the 2020 season. Stroman shooting the video already has Mets fans salivating about a potential move by Arenado to the Big Apple should the Rockies decide to trade him. However, those rumors have cooled considerably over the last six weeks.
But let’s put any thoughts of Arenado leaving Denver out of our collective mind for now, Rockies fans. With spring training scheduled to begin in just over three weeks, it is fully expected that Arenado will once again be manning the hot corner for the Rockies, in Scottsdale and when the Los Angeles Dodgers pay a visit to Coors Field to open the regular season on April 1 (provided the schedule remains intact with so many questions still swirling thanks to COVID-19).
Arenado should also have plenty of motivation to return to a form that has seen him bash 37 or more home runs in each of the last five full seasons. With a swing like seen in this video, those sitting in the outfield stands (when fans can return to stadiums) may want to pay particular attention when Arenado steps to the plate in 2021.