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Why Nolan Arenado's first-inning at-bats are must see
You don’t need us to tell you that Nolan Arenado has developed into one of baseball’s most must-see superstars. His all-around skills are on display every day as the Colorado Rockies third baseman.
But if you want to see Arenado at his very best, make sure to tune in for the first inning.
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Check out these numbers: In 19 first-inning plate appearances this season, Arenado is 10-for-15 with three homers, three doubles, nine RBI, five runs scored, three walks and one sacrifice fly. His first-inning batting line is .667/.684/1.182, which is simply ridiculous.
We tell you this now, because you can watch Nolan Arenado take his first-inning hacks against Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zack Greinke in Saturday’s Free MLB Game of the Day here on Yahoo Sports. That game, which can be streamed on the Yahoo Sports MLB page, on our Free Game of the Day tab or in this very post, begins at 8:10 p.m. ET. MLB’s local blackout rules apply.
Arenado’s first-inning success is pretty interesting. In past seasons, he’s actually rotated with Carlos Gonzalez in the third and fourth spot in the order based on matchups. That meant he wasn’t guaranteed to bat in the first inning. Manager Bud Black has changed that, locking Arenado into the three spot now so he can continue feasting early in games.
This isn’t a new trend for Arenado either. He’s hit 26 career first-inning homers in 347 plate appearances. His only other inning with more than 12 is the fourth, where’s he hit 23. His .343/.401/.718 career batting line in the first inning is tops in all three categories for any other inning.
He’s pretty much the last guy a pitcher wants to see in the first inning, but there’s no way to avoid him.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
