Bleacher Report just released their rankings of the top 50 MLB players heading into the 2016 season, and a certain Rockies player is garnering a lot of attention … Nolan Arenado.
After a breakout 2015 campaign, the Rockies stud third baseman is quickly pushing himself towards superstardom, as Joel Reuter ranked Arenado as the 14th best player in baseball.
And it’s no surprise — though Arenado did rank higher in Bleacher Reports’ rankings than ESPN’s. That’s the type of respect you get when you lead the National League with 130 RBIs and 42 home runs. And that’s without mentioning the countless draw-dropping plays he’s made defensively.
The fact that he’s not even three full seasons into his career and has three Gold Gloves is almost impossible to imagine.
More importantly, the continued emergence of Arenado allows Rockies fans to move on from the former face of the franchise, Troy Tulowitzki, who didn’t even appear on Bleacher Report’s top-50 list. If anything, they should be grateful to bid farewell to the hitter who put up an upsetting .239/.317/.380 split during his final 41 games of the season in Toronto.
Meanwhile, Arenado’s star only looks to be getting brighter. With Opening Day right around the corner, Arenado has put up a .580/.593/1.673 split, hit five home runs and knocked in 14 RBI during spring training. If that ends up being any indication of how productive Nolan will be in the regular season, the Rockies can look forward to a legendary year from their third baseman.