Last season, the St. Louis Cardinals were lucky enough to have two sluggers in the conversation for the National League MVP Award.
Paul Goldschmidt took home the award after a season in which he hit .317 with 35 home runs and 115 RBI.
But his fellow Cardinals teammate Nolan Arenado wasn’t far behind him.
In fact, Arenado finished third in the vote for the MVP Award behind Goldschmidt and Manny Machado.
The slugging third baseman hit .293 with 30 home runs and 103 RBI during the regular season.
This year, Arenado looks poised to have a repeat performance and potentially take home MVP honors himself.
On Twitter, MLB posted a video of Arenado taking swings at the Cardinals spring training facility.
In the cage with Nolan. 😍 pic.twitter.com/hiyKFyWiZv
—MLB (@MLB) February 21, 2023
With Goldschmidt and Arenado already in the Cardinals lineup, things are looking quite good in terms of their offense.
The addition of Willson Contreras should make things even better.
But Arenado cannot be overlooked as the 2023 season draws nearer.
His third-place finish in the MVP race could be a sign of things to come.
That’s what the Cardinals are hoping for anyway.
The middle-of-the-order combination of Arenado, Goldschmidt, and Contreras should be dangerous and could potentially carry the Cardinals deep into October.
St. Louis acquired Arenado from the Colorado Rockies in 2021 in one of the more lopsided trades in recent Cardinals history.
The Cards slugger has been selected to the National League All-Star squad in each of his first two seasons with the club.
He chose to opt into the remaining five years of his contract early on in the offseason.
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