Rating how concerned we should be about slow starts from different Cardinals' bats

Nolan Arenado

People forget that the Cardinals' superstar third baseman was an All-Star in 2023, being voted onto the team after slugging at an elite level through the All-Star Break. Throughout the second half though, Arenado fell off at the plate, and a lot of people attributed that to his bad back.

Well, his 2024 season hasn't started off strong by his standards, as Arenado has looked uncomfortable at the plate, taking a lot of those odd half-swings, striking out a lot, and struggling to come up with extra-base hits.

While all of that is concerning, the signs of success are showing more and more as the games go on, evidenced by the exit velocities and xBA from his last 4 games.

Eight of his at-bats resulted in an excellent xBA, while the other six were pretty clear outs. Arenado is really starting to hit the ball with authority, and the results are showing, as his OPS has now crept above .700.

While being streaky has always been a part of Arenado's game, it is fair to keep a closer eye on his struggles this year after a sustained cold streak in 2023 and the injury concerns surrounding him. For now, though, I'm feeling good about where Arenado is heading, and I have few doubts that he'll be the middle of the order bat they need him to be very soon.

Concern level: 4