Cardinals: Nolan Arenado featured in elite Opening Day lineup

The Cardinals Opening Day lineup will pump up fans, especially with Nolan Arenado featured front and center.

St. Louis baseball fans are among the best in baseball, and they expect greatness from a player making as much money as Nolan Arenado. That’s not to apply extra pressure on Arenado — it’s just facts. Arenado will make his regular season debut as a St. Louis Cardinal on Thursday, batting third in Mike Schildt’s lineup, right in front of fellow corner infielder Paul Goldschmidt.

St. Louis is the clear favorite in the NL Central, as they were among the only teams in the division to actually add to the talent on their active roster this offseason.

What are realistic expectations for Nolan Arenado in St. Louis?

The popular take on Arenado is that not all his power will carry over from Colorado to St. Louis due to the altitude difference. Such an answer is lazy, however. Arenado hits a high number of line drive home runs, and has power to all fields. While the altitude surely helped his power in a number of circumstances, it wasn’t the sole source of it, which is why the Cardinals felt comfortable paying up for a player of his caliber on the trade market.

Even should he struggle at the dish, Arenado’s presence at the hot corner makes him a Gold Glove candidate each and every season. Heck, he’s already won the award eight times.

The Cardinals are set up to win for years to come, and that’s in large part due to their corner infield presence.