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Nolan Arenado has been named as one of the finalists for the 2022 National League MVP Award. His spectacular play for his team, the St. Louis Cardinals, drew great fanfare this season.
Arenado has been around for a long time in the MLB. He has been in MVP conversations several times but has never been selected. Let's take a look back at his career and how much he made during the 2022 MLB season.
"For the 6th year in a row, Nolan is the NL’s best defender!" - @ St. Louis Cardinals
Arenado was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies out of El Toro High School in Southern California. He was known to be a power-hitting corner infielder and has carried that skillset into the MLB as well. At 6'2 and 215 lbs, scouts knew Arenado could get a good hold of a baseball on his bat.
In 2013, his first season as a rookie with the Rockies, Arenado hit 10 home runs and 52 RBIs. His impressive fielding earned him a Gold Glove Award, and he finished the season fifth in Rookie of the Year Award voting.
Arenado became more comfortable in the succeeding years. Playing 81 games per year at Coors Field in Denver, one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball, gave him the chance to slug. Arenado led the NL in home runs and RBIs for 2 seasons in a row.
In 2015, he hit 42 home runs and 130 RBIs. He followed that up with 41 home runs and 133 RBIs in 2016.
In January 2017, Nolan Arenado signed his first multi-year deal with the Rockies on the heels of his second league-best season. The contract would see him make $29.5 million over the next two seasons.
On January 29, 2021, Arenado was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. The trade came less than two seasons after he signed an eight-year, $260 million contract extension with the Rockies.
"La hegemonía de Nolan Arenado con el Guante de Platino continúa." - @ MLB Cuba
In fall 2021, Arenado exercised a $35 million player option for 2022 with St. Louis. This means he will be paid $35 million by the Cardinals on top of the remainder of his contract with the Rockies.
Nolan Arenado seems to be worth the money
There is no doubt that Nolan Arenado is making a lot of money. However, in 2022, his 30 home runs and 103 RBIs were right alongside teammate Paul Goldschmidt, who was among the Cardinals' best performers.
Watch out for Arenado to do some serious damage again next season.
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