In a recent interview at Citi Field with MLB.com's Bill Ladson, Nolan Arenado discussed a wide range of topics from the strong possibility of getting dealt before the Trade Deadline to the chance of Hall of Fame induction. MLB.com: You are off to a good start in the batter’s box and with the glove. What are you doing differently than what you did last year? Arenado: I’m in a better position right now with my body. The body feels good. I feel like I’m able to repeat some things right now that I had trouble repeating last year. I’m just trying to maintain it. MLB.com: What couldn’t you do last year? Arenado: As you get older, you make sure you keep up with some fast-twitch muscle stuff, workouts and training. I tried to implement that more and maintain it. MLB.com: I heard you lost some weight, too. Arenado: Being lean has a lot to do with it. I probably lost five to six pounds. It feels a little bit lighter. I ate a lot cleaner. Laid off the carbs late at night. That’s helped me a little bit. MLB.com: You turned 34 this past Wednesday. How much do you have left in the tank?
Arenado: I don’t know. I like the way I feel right now. I feel like I have a lot left in the tank. I feel I have a lot of good baseball left in me. I feel like I’m showing that now. It’s a long season, obviously. I’m going to try to maintain it. I think there is a better feeling to what I’m doing now. I continue to get better and that’s what I’m striving for.
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MLB.com: You have a bWAR of 57.1, which is higher than Hall of Famers such as Pie Traynor and George Kell. Are you a Hall of Famer? Arenado: I’m happy to have that discussion. I know people talk about it a lot more, obviously, when you are older and proven enough. You know what? I don’t know if I am or not. I feel I have a lot left in the game, so we’ll see at the end of it where I’m at. MLB.com: As you look back, can you believe all the Gold Gloves you won and the production you put up at the plate?
Arenado: You don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. I haven’t won the Gold Glove in the past two years. Sometimes, when I look back on my time, I can’t believe I was able to do that, but I still want more. I’m still chasing more and I’m hopeful to accomplish it.
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MLB.com: What else do you want to accomplish? Arenado: I just want to be productive. I want to win. I would like to play and perform in the playoffs. I haven’t had many opportunities. But the opportunities that I’ve had, I haven’t done much. I would like to get back there and hopefully play better. MLB.com: The Cardinals are getting younger. What are your feelings about the team and how good are they? Arenado: I think the organization wants to see what we have. We are still trying to be competitive. There is a lot of development going on and there are a lot of players that need to go out there and show who they are. They have to continue to do that. We’ll see where we end up. MLB.com: As far as the young players go, who has impressed you the most?
Arenado: Lars Nootbaar has been great. Brendan Donovan has been a stud. Victor Scott II has taken [positive] strides compared to last year. He is a totally different player. Jordan Walker is working hard in the outfield. He is getting better. Masyn Winn has a chance to be great. He has a lot of tools. These guys all have a chance to be good. It’s just a matter of putting in the work.
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MLB.com: You are the veteran of this club. Do you think you will be with the Cardinals to guide these guys? Arenado: I don’t know. We’ll see. We are playing hard right now. I think we are doing a good job. We still have to win a little bit more, compete a little bit better. Hopefully we can get on a [winning] streak here. If not, I would assume they would want to let these young guys run and go. I know they don’t feel I’m in the way of that, but at the same time, sooner or later, you have to make a decision. I don’t mean this in a bad way, but I’m not part of their future plans. I’m older. That’s just part of it. When I say future plans, I’m talking about the next five years, plus. I understand that. Hopefully, we are winning so we can add at the Deadline. If not, I’m assuming some questions will arise. MLB.com: Before last winter, all I heard about was your great defense and your production at the plate. But this past offseason was about the possibility of getting traded. Did all the reports about a deal bother you? Arenado: It didn’t bother me. … So I guess when you know something is coming, it doesn’t really bother you that much because you are prepared for it. It’s OK. It’s part of it. |
MLB.com: You had a chance to be traded to the Astros before the season started. Why didn’t you go? Arenado: Obviously, I respect Houston with what they have done. They have been one of the best organizations for a very long time. At the time, I never said no [to the trade]. At the time, the Astros wanted a decision and I couldn’t make it. MLB.com: What did you want to wait on? Arenado: It’s fair to say I wanted to see what Alex Bregman wanted to do. I didn’t know how long it was going to take. That was kind of the gist of it. At the time, I had to make a decision. I wasn’t prepared to do that. MLB.com: After your playing career is over, what do you want to do with your life? Arenado: I want to golf a lot and take family trips. I want to go skiing and do things I was never able to do because of baseball. I would still like to stay in baseball. I would like to coach in college baseball. MLB.com: Why college baseball?
Arenado: I like college baseball because there isn’t a lot of politics to it. There is probably more now with the NIL [Name, Image, and Likeness]. It’s really about winning. Every game really matters. If I can do it somewhere close to home, I feel like I could help give the things I’ve learned and share it with these young players.
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