Schlereth: Arenado makes plays ‘nobody else’ is expected to make
Jul 24, 2017, 9:08 PM
More than halfway through the fifth Major League season for Nolan Arenado, the Colorado Rockies third baseman’s brilliance with the glove and behind the plate seems almost routine.
The expression “Noland being Nolan” typifies perhaps not Rockies fans taking for granted the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger worthy performances from the 26-year-old All-Star but more the expectation that Arenado flashes in some way on a nightly basis.
“There’s nobody who rivals Nolan on a night-to-night basis,” said Mark Schlereth, co-host of “Schlereth & Evans,” last week.
And Schlereth’s remarks came before Arenado was named National League Player of the Week on Monday.
“I see things that he does, like when he doesn’t make the play, I’m like. ‘What’s wrong with Nolan? Like, come on dude. You’ve got to get to that,’ Schlereth said last week. “There’s like nobody else in the world that could get to that ball, and I’m like, ‘How come he didn’t get that one?’”
And with the Rockies playing playoff-contending baseball through the 100 games of the 2017 season, more eyeballs are focusing upon the “phenomenal baseball player.”
Earlier this month, Arenado outpaced 2016 NL MVP and large-market brand name Kris Bryant, of the Chicago Cubs, for the starting third base slot at this year’s All-Star Game.
In June, Arenado made a defensive play at third base that MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds called perhaps the “greatest ever” that he had seen.
Former Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd, also an MLB Network analyst, called Arenado the “best defender in 33 years” that he’s seen play third base.
Oh, and his walk-off home run on Father’s Day to not only give his club a win but also himself a cycle, may have been him on the map for the NL MVP race.
“It’s really cool to see him having this success. It’s really cool for the Rockies to be relevant in this thing,” Schlereth said.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.
