It was just about this time last year when the Cardinals acquired Nolan Arenado in a trade with the Colorado Rockies. Arenado arrived in St. Louis with huge career numbers and massive expectations.
It seemed a foregone conclusion that Arenado would fail to meet both.
Simply moving from the offensive paradise that is Coors Field to the pitching-preferred confines of Busch Stadium was enough to gut his offensive stats. Meanwhile, Arenado’s defensive wizardry is not rooted in geography. Cardinal fans, though, watched THE wizard play shortstop and THE Scott Rolen play third, so we’re a bit hard to impress.