Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado wins National League Player of Week

St. Louis Cardinals All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado has won the National League Player of Week after a dominant first week.

Coming into the season, the St. Louis Cardinals expressed optimism that Nolan Arenado would be better in 2022 than he was in 2021. A lot better.

It’s not like Arenado was bad in 2021. In fact, he was very good – he hit .255/.312/.494 with 34 home runs and 105 RBI – while also winning a Gold Glove Award and being elected to the All-Star game. But that was not to Arenado’s standards, who made it clear after the season that he was not happy with his performance and would go back to the drawing board searching for ways to improve.

Well, whatever Arenado did is clearly working, as he won National League Player of the Week after hitting .500/.538/1.250 with two home runs and seven RBI in the first three games. He was easily the Cardinals’ best hitter and is a large reason why the organization is so high on not just their offense, but their potential playoff outlook.

Of course, this pace is not sustainable for Arenado, but he is capable of singlehandedly carrying the offense when he’s at his best. Thankfully for the Cardinals, they don’t need him to do that. They have Tyler O’Neill and Paul Goldschmidt and six others throughout the lineup that they feel are vastly underrated throughout the league.

But Arenado is a player who gives them superstar potential. It’s why the Cardinals sought Arenado last winter and pursued him so aggressively. He is capable of changing a game in a second, both offensively and defensively, and at only 30 years old, still can be a franchise cornerstone if he doesn’t opt out of his contract following the season.

All the Cardinals need to worry about now is ensuring Arenado is at his best. So far, so good, and the Cardinals (2-1 and atop the NL Central) are already starting to see the reward.