It didn’t take long for Nolan Arenado to leave a strong impression on the Arizona Diamondbacks and their fan base. Arenado crushed a home run in his first at-bat of the spring, which was the difference in a 3-2 win over the Colorado Rockies.
Perhaps it’s fitting that Arenado homered against his former team in his first at-bat since returning to the National League West. He broke in with the Rockies in 2013 and helped lead them to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018. That relationship ended after the 2020 season, when the Rockies dealt him to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Hoping to capitalize on a Cardinals rebuild, the Diamondbacks acquired the eight-time All-Star third baseman this offseason. The goal was to tighten up their infield defense and make life easier on their pitchers. Hazen believes that with a fresh start, Arenado will rebound offensively.
Arenado has already made quite the impression on his teammates and manager.
“Amazing, amazing, amazing,” Perdomo told The Arizona Republic‘s Nick Piecoro after the game. “This is going to be his breakout season this year, for sure. He’s going to look like he’s 28 years old again.”
“Nolan’s just got a great heartbeat, he’s so even-keeled,” manager Torey Lovullo told Piecoro. “He’s a hard worker, a very dedicated teammate.”
Nolan Arenado on Homering Against His Former Teammate
It’s been a while since Arenado was on the Rockies, but the blast came against his former teammate, Antonio Senzatela. The two players spent four seasons together in Colorado (2017-2020).
“It’s always kind of weird playing them, I don’t really know a lot of the players anymore,” Arenado told Arizona Sports’ Alex Weiner. “I know Senza really well, I love that guy.
“Home runs off anybody, doesn’t matter who it is, they always feel good.”
Arenado finished the game 1-for-2 at the plate. In his other at-bat, he flied out to former Diamondback Jake McCarthy in center field.
“I really like where I’m at with my swings today. My takes were good. We’ve been really working hard in the cages with the hitting coaches. And getting a lot of great work, we’ve been grinding.”
The Diamondbacks aren’t only asking for Arenado to shore up their defense at third base, but they want him to be an important part of their lineup. He’s coming off the worst season of his career, hitting just .234 with 12 home runs with the Cardinals. Arizona is certainly hoping to get more out of his bat in 2026.
Where Nolan Arenado Fits the Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks have the top third of their lineup set in stone for the rest of the decade. Arizona has three top-25 players in the game between Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, and Corbin Carroll.
The rest of their lineup is in flux. Roster Resource’s Depth Chart on the Diamondbacks currently projects Arenado to hit fifth in their regular lineup. The projections have the future Hall of Famer putting up a .254/.309/.404 slash with 17 home runs, a 96 wRC+, and 2.1 fWAR. That’s production that Arizona will be happy to get from Arenado, as they are only paying $5 million of his 2026 salary and $6 million for 2027.
It may be a while before we see the Diamondbacks’ intended lineup takes shape. Carroll is working back from a hamate bone injury, which puts his Opening Day status in doubt.
Another injury situation to monitor is Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who is working back from an ACL tear. Manager Torey Lovullo has already ruled out an Opening Day return, according to The Arizona Republic‘s Nick Piecoro.
Once Carroll and Gurriel come back, the Diamondbacks should be at full strength for their lineup.
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