Cardinals: Nolan Arenado is on pace for a career-best season

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado is quickly putting to rest that his success was a product of Coors Field.

One of the most prominent questions surrounding Nolan Arenado after the blockbuster trade to the St. Louis Cardinals was: How much did Coors Field contribute to his success?

It’s something that every player from the Rockies has heard. It surrounded D.J. LeMahieu’s free agency. It was brought up after Charlie Blackmon signed his lucrative extension in 2018. It most certainly persisted after the Arenado trade, with many pundits pointing to his splits as their main evidence for the argument.

Home: .321/.376/.609 with a .985 OPS, 138 home runs, 466 RBI in 549 games.

Road: .263/.321/.470 with a .791 OPS, 101 home runs, 304 RBI in 547 games.

In St. Louis, Arenado has quickly quieted those concerns. He’s tied for the Cardinals lead with four home runs and is on pace for a career-high 152 OPS+. Arenado has admitted that he hasn’t quite settled in St. Louis, saying that his surroundings still feel new and that he’s getting used to playing for a new team after eight years in Colorado. But the fact that he is putting up career numbers during that transition … it bodes pretty well for his future.

Part of those concerns came from his down season in 2020, which was largely hampered by a sprained AC joint that impacted his ability to swing at high pitches. Now healthy, the 30-year-old Arenado is already making an impact with the Cardinals. He is under contract for the long haul and has indicated no desire to exercise his opt out clauses in the next couple years.

Which means that this is only the beginning. And based on what Arenado has said, it should only get better from here. That in itself should terrify the other 29 teams.