Player Outlook
By Nolan Arenado's lofty standards, his 2023 season was a disappointment. He totaled just 26 home runs, his fewest in a full season since 2014. His average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit rate all ranked in the bottom 40 percent of the league, per Statcast. It wasn't a disastrous season by any means as Arenado was an All-Star and still ranked above league average by most offensive measures, but it was a sizable step back from the previous year when he was an MVP finalist in the National League. The final month of the season was particularly rough as Arenado limped to the finish line with a .509 OPS in his final 17 games before back spasms ended his campaign. Despite the missed time at the end, Arenado still cleared 600 plate appearances, meaning he's now done so in each of the last eight full seasons. He's probably a future Hall of Famer and should be expected to bounce back to an extent, but his best days are likely behind him as he nears 33 years old.

Fantasy Stats

Year fpts
Fantasy Points
fpts/g
Fantasy Points per Game
r
Runs
hr
Home Runs
rbi
Runs Batted In
bb
Base on Balls (Walk)
sb
Stolen Bases
avg
Batting Average
2024 .000
2023 417.52.9 71 26 93 41 3 .266
2022 5033.4 73 30 103 52 5 .293
3y Avg. 4683.1 75 30 100 48 3 .270
Projections Powered by
Fantasy Performance by Week
96%
Roster
95%
Start
#9
3B Rank

Fantasy News

  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Takes live BP on Monday

    Arenado (back) is scheduled to take live batting practice Monday, John Denton of MLB.com reports. Arenado's involvement in the Cardinals' first full-squad workout of spring training implies that he reported to camp with no restrictions after he closed the 2023 season on the 10-day injured list due to lower-back spasms. In an effort to improve his flexibility and avoid further back problems during the upcoming campaign, Arenado took up pilates and shed a few pounds in the offseason. The 32-year-old still boasts an elite glove at third base, but he showed his some slight signs of decline in 2023, with his .774 OPS representing a 117-point decline from 2022. Arenado's batted-ball data also mirrored the dropoff in most of the counting categories, with his barrel rate, hard-hit percentage and average exit velocity all ranking in the bottom 40 percent of hitters in the league.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Sheds some weight for 2024

    Arenado (back) is in better shape entering 2024, John Denton of MLB.com reports. Arenado has taken up pilates to be more flexible, losing a few pounds in the process. The 32-year-old third baseman is still expected to be the Cardinals' starter at the hot corner in 2024, so getting a little fitter can only help to keep him on the field. He had a challenging 2023, as did many Cardinals, slashing .266/.315/.459 with 26 home runs, 93 RBI, 71 runs scored, 26 doubles and three stolen bases over 144 contests. It was the first time he finished with an OPS under .800 in a full season since his rookie year with the Rockies in 2013.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Shut down with back spasms

    The Cardinals placed Arenado on the 10-day injured list Friday with lower-back spasms. This will wind up being a season-ending issue for the 32-year-old third baseman, who finishes with a .266/.315/.459 slash line, 26 home runs, 26 doubles and 93 RBI in 144 games. Jose Fermin, Juniel Querecuto and Irving Lopez are available to fill in at the hot corner over the Cardinals' final nine games.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Takes seat Wednesday

    Arenado is not in the lineup Wednesday versus the Brewers. Juniel Querecuto will start at third base and bat eighth for the Cardinals after they were officially eliminated from postseason contention following Tuesday's loss to Milwaukee. Arenado is slashing just .181/.233/.205 over his last 90 plate appearances dating back to Aug. 25.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Day off Wednesday

    Arenado is out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Orioles. Jose Fermin will start at third base and bat eighth against the O's and right-hander Kyle Gibson. This looks to be a routine day of rest for Arenado, who's sitting on 26 home runs and 89 RBI through 138 games this year.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Nabs steal in Wednesday's win

    Arenado went 2-for-5 with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's 11-6 win over Atlanta. Arenado worked the back end of a double steal with Nolan Gorman in the first inning. Prior to Wednesday, Arenado had gone just 3-for-35 across his previous nine contests. The veteran third baseman's slump has seen his slash line sag to .270/.319/.479 on the year, and he's added 26 home runs, 86 RBI, 65 runs scored and three stolen bases over 132 contests.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Returns as designated hitter

    Arenado (back) will serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and cleanup batter Sunday at Philadelphia. Arenado sat out Saturday's game after making an early exit from Friday's series opener due to lower-back tightness, but he apparently feels well enough to fill the DH role in Sunday's series finale. Taylor Motter will start at third base for the visiting Cardinals.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Remains out Saturday

    Arenado (back) isn't starting Saturday's game against Philadelphia, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Arenado had to leave Friday's contest after his back tightened up on him mid-game, and the issue is apparently serious enough to warrant him missing a start Saturday. Nolan Gorman will start at third base in Arenado's place while Tommy Edman starts at second and Luken Baker serves as the Cards' DH.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Exits with lower-back tightness

    Arenado was removed from Friday's game against the Phillies due to lower-back tightness. It's not clear when or how Arenado suffered the injury, but he was replaced on defense prior to the bottom of the seventh inning. The star third baseman was hitless in three plate appearances before exiting. Arenado can be considered day-to-day for the time being.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Swats 26th homer

    Arenado went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 13-2 loss to the Mets. Arenado is batting .303 (20-for-66) with four homers in August, but he has just eight RBI over 16 contests this month. The third baseman's warm stretch has lifted his slash line to .283/.329/.509 for the season, and he's added 26 homers, 85 RBI, 58 runs scored and two stolen bases through 118 games overall. He's still got enough season left to get to his usual milestones of 30 homers and 100 RBI.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Homers in four-hit game

    Arenado went 4-for-5 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Athletics. The Cardinals raced out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, with Arenado's homer a major factor in that. He saw a 10-game hitting streak end in Monday's contest, but he's still hitting a sharp .365 with three homers over 12 games in August. The third baseman is slashing .289/.336/.516 with 25 long balls, 84 RBI, 57 runs scored and two stolen bases over 114 contests in a near-everyday role this season.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Racks up three hits in win

    Arenado went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Royals. Arenado's bat has been hot in August -- he's gone 15-for-42 (.357) during his 10-game hitting streak that spans the whole month. The third baseman had slumped briefly in late July, but he's back up to a .287/.335/.511 slash line with 24 home runs, 82 RBI, 56 runs scored, two stolen bases, 22 doubles and two triples through 112 contests this season.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Homers Tuesday

    Arenado went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss against the Rays. Arenado opened the scoring Tuesday with a solo homer off Zach Eflin in the second inning. The All-Star third baseman has hits in six straight contests, going 8-for-25 (.320) with a pair of home runs in that span. Overall, Arenado's slashing .282/.330/.513 with 24 homers, 80 RBI and 52 runs scored across 460 plate appearances this season.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Goes yard in loss

    Arenado went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Rockies. Arenado got the Cardinals on the board in the second inning, but that only cut the deficit to 6-1. The third baseman had gone 4-for-31 (.129) over eight games since his last multi-hit effort. He has a .283/.330/.514 slash line with 23 homers, 79 RBI, 50 runs scored and two stolen bases over 105 contests on the season.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Gets breather Thursday

    Arenado is not in the lineup Thursday versus the Twins. This appears to be a routine breather for Arenado as the Cardinals close out their three-game set with Minnesota. Taylor Motter is at third base and batting ninth.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Getting rare day off

    Arenado is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in Arizona. Arenado gets a rare day off after he had an eight-game hitting streak snapped Tuesday. Taylor Motter will get the start at third base in place of Arenado.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Extends hitting streak with homer

    Arenado went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Monday's 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks. Arenado is 13-for-33 (.394) with two homers and 13 RBI during his active eight-game hitting streak. His blast came in the fifth inning to give the Cardinals a 5-2 lead, which they squandered before rallying back ahead in the ninth. The third baseman is well on his way to another 30-homer campaign -- he's at 22 for the year while adding 77 RBI, 48 runs scored, two stolen bases and a .290/.338/.527 slash line through 97 contests.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Racks up three hits

    Arenado (leg) went 3-for-4 in Sunday's 7-2 loss to the Cubs. Arenado played the full game at third base after exiting Saturday's contest with left leg stiffness. While he put in a good effort, the Cardinals' Nos. 1, 2 and 4 hitters combined to go 0-for-13 with a walk, eliminating Arenado's chances of getting involved in run production. The third baseman is on a seven-game hitting streak, going 12-for-28 (.429) in that span. He's up to a .291/.340/.523 slash line with 21 home runs, 76 RBI, 47 runs scored, 19 doubles, two triples and two stolen bases through 96 contests overall.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Good to go Sunday

    Arenado (leg) is starting at third base and batting third Sunday against the Cubs, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports. Arenado was pulled from Saturday's contest with left leg stiffness after he fouled a pitch off himself, but the issue won't keep him out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale. The 32-year-old is in the midst of a six-game hit streak and has a .375/.407/.583 slash line with 12 RBI during that span.
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  • Cardinals' Nolan Arenado: Exited with leg stiffness

    Arenado was removed from Saturday's loss to the Cubs after fouling a ball off his lower left leg, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports. That explains why the Cardinals brought in Brendan Donovan to hit for Arenado in the top of the ninth inning. The star third baseman downplayed the issue after the game, saying his leg just stiffened up a bit during a seventh-inning rain delay. He could be available for Sunday's series finale at Wrigley Field.
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