Nolan Arenado showing he is more than a defensive player
May 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) bats against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rockies won 9-2. (Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports)
The Rockies knew they had themselves a player in Nolan Arenado. In his 4+ seasons in the minors, his slashline was .299/.345/.473. Baseball America knew, too. The publication had Arenado tabbed as a member of their top 100 prospect list from 2011-2013.
It might be a surprise to some that the Rockies third baseman has a 27-game hitting streak. Maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that he has extended hitting streak.
Granted, hitting streaks of this length aren’t all that common. As a prospect in the Rockies organization, Arenado’s longest hitting streak was 18 games as a member of Single-A Asheville. Here’s a look at his longest hitting streaks by level.
Casper (Rookie): 15 games
Asheville (A): 18 games
Modesto (A+): 13 games
Tulsa (AA): 16 games
Colorado Springs (AAA): 8 games
Prior to his promotion last season, Arenado played in only 18 total games for the Sky Sox. That’s all the Triple-A experience he has.
The last game in which Arenado did not collect a hit came on April 8, a month ago today. He has 13 multi-hit games this season. Only two of those occurred prior to this hitting streak.
He’s neither held a moderately high walk rate nor a sky-high strikeout rate. His SO% has shown an increase (13.4%) in comparing that of his minor league days (10.2%). A slight concern could also be that his walk rate has decreased (6.8% to 4.5%) since facing big league pitching. Most players that make the big leagues will usually experience these changes in these rates.
But Arenado has proven to be durable as well. He’s played in every game this season and no pinch-hit appearances as of yet. Last season, he didn’t make his MLB debut until the Rockies’ 25th game. Over the team’s remaining games, Arenado only missed four. In those 133 games in which he appeared, he started in 128.
He’s not just a deserving Gold Glove winner. For those outside the Rockies fanbase, you now know that Nolan Arenado is more than just that glove.