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Five-time Silver Slugger winner Nolan Arenado has taken some steps of regression in the last couple of seasons.
Regardless, he still ended his 2024 campaign in the top-three of hits, RBIs and batting average on the St. Louis Cardinals roster.
He dealt with an exhausting offseason that was littered with trade speculation—all to amount to sticking around in St. Louis for 2025.
The 33-year-old eight-time All-Star has shown impressive bat speed through spring training. The Athletic listed Arenado as one of the top-ten bat speed improvers based on tracked pitches in the Florida Grapefruit League.
According to those reported metrics, Arenado has kicked up his bat speed from an average of 70.7 mph in 2024 to 74.1 in 2025.
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28)© Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Based on these results, The Athletic's Eno Sarris projects Arenado to bolster his Hall of Fame career this season by eclipsing 30 home runs again—a feat he hasn't reached since 2022 and has achieved seven times in his 12-year MLB career.
"After 2020, there was some question if Arenado was in decline, and the Rockies decided to pay down the contract and ship him out of town," writes Sarris. "In St. Louis, he pulled more fly balls than ever and had a three-year resurgence going as 2024 started.
"But the bat speed slowed last year, and despite a furious effort to get it back on track, he only spent a week or two with above-average bat speed. His current spring bat speed would be in the top 40 if he kept it up all year. And yeah, that’s why this one’s bold, we’re forecasting more power based on five spring swings."
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Regardless, he still ended his 2024 campaign in the top-three of hits, RBIs and batting average on the St. Louis Cardinals roster.
He dealt with an exhausting offseason that was littered with trade speculation—all to amount to sticking around in St. Louis for 2025.
The 33-year-old eight-time All-Star has shown impressive bat speed through spring training. The Athletic listed Arenado as one of the top-ten bat speed improvers based on tracked pitches in the Florida Grapefruit League.
According to those reported metrics, Arenado has kicked up his bat speed from an average of 70.7 mph in 2024 to 74.1 in 2025.
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St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28)© Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Based on these results, The Athletic's Eno Sarris projects Arenado to bolster his Hall of Fame career this season by eclipsing 30 home runs again—a feat he hasn't reached since 2022 and has achieved seven times in his 12-year MLB career.
"After 2020, there was some question if Arenado was in decline, and the Rockies decided to pay down the contract and ship him out of town," writes Sarris. "In St. Louis, he pulled more fly balls than ever and had a three-year resurgence going as 2024 started.
"But the bat speed slowed last year, and despite a furious effort to get it back on track, he only spent a week or two with above-average bat speed. His current spring bat speed would be in the top 40 if he kept it up all year. And yeah, that’s why this one’s bold, we’re forecasting more power based on five spring swings."
Continue reading...
