Nolan Arenado occasionally lets down his guard and looks into the ten National League Gold Glove Awards he’s received, and those bright statuettes simultaneously ignite memories and stoke his desire for more.
“When you’re in the middle of a season or in the middle of your career, you don’t think about winning that many of them,” said Arenado, one of just two players in history (the other being Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki) to win ten Gold Gloves in his first ten MLB seasons. “But if you lose [the Gold Glove], you want it back. And then you realize, ‘Damn, that was a pretty fantastic run, wasn’t it?'”
As much as Arenado values those ten titles, which nearly assure that he will one day be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, he recently disclosed something that some in the game may find difficult to believe. Two seasons after being named the National League’s finest defensive third baseman, Arenado said a probable 11th Gold Glove would take precedence over all others in his magnificent trophy cabinet.
“That would mean a lot, and I’d love to win it again,” Arenado told MLB.com. “It would probably be the most special one if I could get that back again.”
During a recent three-game series sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arenado demonstrated why he is one of the game’s greats. Despite being demoted to No. 6 in the lineup due to his offensive troubles, Arenado won Game 1 on Friday with a three-run triple. In Game 2, he dove to his left and made an incredible play to keep the tying run from scoring. And on Sunday, when Arenado dashed into foul area to catch a popup, his speed carried him into the netting, where his lower back struck with the arm of a steel chair. The stinging ache near his left kidney took his breath away.
“That was a little tough, and I’ve never had that feeling before, so it was a little scary,” said Arenado, who remained in the game. “It was a great play and a great win for us.”
At 34, Nolan Arenado is feeling the physical toll of a long career marked by fearless play—diving into seats, crashing into tarps and walls. Despite the wear and tear, he put in hard work over the winter and throughout this unexpected resurgence by the Cardinals to position himself for a potential return to Gold Glove form. His six Outs Above Average (OAA) lead all MLB third basemen, tied with Pittsburgh’s Ke’Bryan Hayes—the same player who ended Arenado’s decade-long Gold Glove streak in 2023. (San Francisco’s Matt Chapman, the heavy favorite in 2024, trails slightly with four OAA.) Arenado’s elite defense is a major factor behind the Cardinals’ MLB-leading 27 OAA in 2025.
What continues to astonish his teammates is Arenado’s relentless drive—at times bordering on obsession—for excellence. During a recent team flight, players compared his incredible résumé—eight All-Star selections, six Platinum Gloves, five Silver Sluggers, and 10 Gold Gloves—to the combined accolades of the entire roster. That he continues to take early grounders and hit in the cage until his hands are raw speaks volumes.
“He’s very intentional in everything he does, and I love watching him work,” said veteran pitcher Sonny Gray. “I study him a lot because I know I can learn from the way he prepares. He wants to be great—and still is—but he’s never satisfied. He keeps pushing himself every single day.”
Legendary Cardinals third baseman and Hall of Famer Scott Rolen holds the National League record for the longest gap—four years—between Gold Glove wins at the position. Evan Longoria holds the overall record with a seven-year gap. Arenado, whose last win was in 2022, admits it feels like forever since he reigned defensively, fueling his current urgency.
This season, he’s already leapt into the stands twice for catches, but his personal highlight remains a spinning throw to home plate to cut down Brewers speedster Jackson Chourio and preserve a 3–2 victory on April 25. That play brought back memories of his prime.
“It made me feel like my younger self again, moving like that,” Arenado said with a grin. “It was a really cool moment.”