4 surprising players who are off to strong starts for the St. Louis Cardinals

Third baseman Nolan Arenado

We could have all assumed that third baseman Nolan Arenado would do everything in his power to not have a repeat performance of either 2023 or 2024. The eight-time All-Star had a cumulative slash line of .269/.320/.426, a far cry from his career numbers of .285/.342/.515. His bat speed dropped two miles per hour from 2022 through 2024, and he averaged only 21 home runs each year, the lowest figure in a complete season in his career since 2014, his second season in the majors.

That wouldn't let the future Hall of Famer give up in 2025, though.

Arenado worked all offseason to add muscle and help increase his bat speed. Even team president of baseball operations John Mozeliak was excited to see what Arenado could bring to the table this year.

“I would not bet against him; I’d bet on him,” said Mozeliak. “And I was afraid someone else was going to get that if we traded him. He’s a special player, and he can still do things that many can’t.”

At spring training, Arenado spoke of his readiness for the season to start. He appeared to be excited about the upcoming season. "I'm excited to get to work. You know, I'm a ballplayer, and I'm really focusing on getting ready for the season."

Many fans expected a bounce-back year for the 34-year-old third baseman, and he hasn't disappointed thus far. Through 11 games and 50 plate appearances, Arenado is slashing .310/.420/.452. He's slugged one home run, driven in six runners, walked eight times, and struck out only thrice. While one would like to see a little more slug in him, these are promising numbers.

Most importantly, Arenado's bat speed is back up to a respectable 72.2 MPH.

The Cardinals needed Arenado to return to prowess this year and lead a young crop of position players. He's been a reliable force in the cleanup spot this year, as he has a .360 batting average with runners on and a .417 average with runners in scoring position. With on-base machines like Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan ahead of him, it's imperative that Arenado continues to drive them in.

There appears to be an air of revenge in Nolan Arenado's game to start the 2025 season, and this bodes well for both him and the St. Louis Cardinals.