Nolan Arenado heard the refrain for years: “Oh, he’s just a product of Coors Field.”
He heard it about former Rockies D.J. LeMahieu and Matt Holliday, both of whom remain close friends. He heard it about himself. It was like wearing a scarlet letter.
Arenado hopes his performance for the Cardinals this season has at least partially debunked the Coors Field theory.
“At times, I guess, I wanted to prove people wrong,” said the seven-time All-Star third baseman who’s in Denver for a three-game series against the Rockies at Coors. “There is a sense of pride and wanting to prove people wrong.
“Last year I didn’t do a very good job of it, I didn’t do what I expected to do. But I still drove in 100 (runs) and still hit 30-plus (homers). Those are important things. And we made the playoffs.”
The nine-time Gold Glove winner finished with 34 home runs and 105 RBIs in 2021 but hit just .255 with a .312 on-base percentage. His average at Busch Stadium was a meager .228.
Entering Wednesday night’s game at Coors, Arenado was slashing .300/.369/.550 with 22 home runs and 69 RBIs. His average at Busch this season is .289 and he’s hit half of his home runs in St. Louis’ pitcher-friendly ballpark.
Arenado played eight seasons in Colorado before he was traded to St. Louis on Feb. 1, 2021. In those eight seasons with the Rockies, Arenado slashed .293/.348/.541 and hit 235 home runs. He won the National League home run crown three times: 2015 (42, tied with Bryce Harper), 2016 (41), and 2018 (38).
Arenado, now 31, said he no longer lets the Coors Field label weigh him down.
“It used to bother me a lot, but I just got over it because I know who I am as a player,” he said. “And I know who D.J. thinks he is as a player. And Matt Holliday, too.”
In seven seasons with Colorado, LeMahieu slashed .299/.352/.408 with 49 homers. Two-thirds through his fourth season with the Yankees, the infielder has a .302/.374/.454 slash line with 58 home runs.
In five-plus seasons with Colorado, Holliday, who retired in 2018, slashed .319/.387/.550 and hit 130 homers. In eight seasons with the Cardinals, the seven-time All-Star outfielder hit .293/.380/.494 with 156 homers.
Arenado’s bottom line theory: a good baseball player is a good baseball player, no matter his home ballpark.
“I think it’s a real disservice to the players who played here at Coors,” he said. “And even to the players who are here now. If you are playing well, you can play well anywhere. That’s always been my thought.”
Prospect watch. In his first game since being promoted to Triple-A Albuquerque, first baseman Michael Toglia went 2-for-4 with a home run for the Isotopes Tuesday night.
Outfielder Zac Veen, the Rockies’ No. 1 prospect, played in his first game for Double-A Hartford Tuesday night, going1-for-3 with a walk.
Footnotes. Rockies right-hander Chad Kuhl, on the 15-day injured list with a right hip flexor strain, is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Friday before the Rockies play …read more
Source:: The Denver Post – Sports
