Nolan Arenado reminds Cardinal fans on Opening Day why he's a future Hall of Famer

After spending an entire offseason not quite sure where he would play for the 2025 season, Nolan Arenado arrived at Busch Stadium on Thursday morning grateful to be back with the St. Louis Cardinals.

According to John Denton of MLB.com, Arenado dealt with the trade rumors this offseason in a nonchalant way. When asked if he thought he would still be with the Cardinals on Opening Day, Arenado responded, "You know, no. I mean, at one point it was like 50-50, and then at one point it probably got to like 70-30 that I wasn't (going to return to the Cards). But, you know, at the end of the day, I always knew there was a chance I could come back, and I've always been prepared for that."

And back he was on Thursday afternoon.

Arenado wasted no time in making his presence felt in the game. He hit a single in the bottom of the third to move Brendan Donovan to second base. Donovan would eventually come around to score on a single by catcher Ivan Herrera.

Two at-bats later, Arenado reminded everyone why he will eventually be a Hall of Famer and why they should be grateful that he's still on the roster.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Arenado came to bat against Griffin Jax of the Minnesota Twins. Down 0-1 in the count, Arenado saw a 98 mile-per-hour fastball come in high and inside. Nado turned on the heater and placed it firmly in the left field stands to cushion the Cardinals' advantage for a solo home run, giving All-Star closer Ryan Helsley a two-run lead.

The ball left Arenado's bat with an exit velocity of 99.3 MPH, and it traveled a total of 376 feet with a launch angle of 30 degrees. While this isn't a no-doubter by any means, it's definitely a positive sign for the 33-year-old third baseman. Arenado registered a 75.5 MPH bat speed on the long ball. In 2024, he had only one home run with a higher bat speed.

Arenado's bat speed was a topic of conversation all last year. He added strength this offseason to hopefully increase his bat speed, and it has seemed to work so far.

Fans recognized Arenado prior to first pitch with a loud ovation as he made his lap around the dirt during pre-game introductions. Fans continued that applause following his home run, as they got him to come back out of the dugout for a curtain call. He playfully placed his hand on his ear to ask the sell-out crowd for more applause.

It's great to see Nolan Arenado with a fire already, and seeing him log two hits on Opening Day only further increases fan excitement for the eight-time All Star. The season is still quite young, but it's off to a strong start so far.