Washington Nationals: 5 To Watch Against Colorado
By Ron Juckett
NOLAN ARENADO
For most of us, the last time Nolan Arenado graced our television screens was his less than stellar performance during the World Baseball Classic.
As with Daniel Murphy, Arenado’s poor performance was not a prediction for his immediate future. After 18 games, he has resumed his slaughter of baseballs along the west coast. He leads the Rockies with 12 runs, six doubles and six homers. The slash line of .328/.400/.687 is why Colorado leads the pack.
Arenado’s OPS of 1.087, a career-high, adjusts to 170. Let’s see how many times Nats pitchers give a hitter performing 70 percent above league average something to hit.
Power and production are not new for Arenado. He led the NL the last two years both in home runs and RBI. Slugging 42 and 41 homers, he drove in 130 and 133, respectively. With an average around .290, those All-Star trips and Silver Sluggers are deserved.
He can play a little third base. Arenado has four straight Gold Gloves.
Last year against the Nats in six games, he slugged one homer, drove in seven while hitting .333. Arenado scored an average of a run a game.
Captain Obvious says keeping him off the bases is a good idea. Because of how the schedule works, just enjoy watching one of the better players in the game do his thing.