There’s no level, Nolan Arenado figured, in ready for a cellphone name that wasn’t more likely to come.
That’s one purpose why Arenado, after twice playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, is representing Puerto Rico in this yr’s version.
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His mom is the opposite driving drive.
Arenado’s father is Cuban and his mom Puerto Rican, however the California native represented Team USA with distinction in two WBCs – as a part of their 2017 championship squad, after which in 2023 contributing 10 hits and a 1.025 OPS for the squad that fell simply brief in the title sport towards Japan.
Arenado completed third in NL MVP voting in 2022, hitting 30 homers and driving in 103 runs for the St. Louis Cardinals; he was a straightforward choose as Team USA’s major third baseman in 2023 and went on to an eighth All-Star Game choice that summer time.
Yet his mid-30s plateau had arrived.
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As his WAR dropped from 7.9 in 2022 to 1.3 as a 34-year-old in 2025, Arenado questioned if his previous gig for Team USA had expired.
Sure sufficient, the Americans known as on Alex Bregman and Gunnar Henderson to man the new nook, leaving a gap for his former Cardinals teammate Yadier Molina, the supervisor of Puerto Rico’s WBC squad.
“I wished to play for USA once more, however I didn’t get the decision,” Arenado told USA TODAY Sports this spring. “Honestly, I didn’t deserve the call. And when Yadi called me about it, I felt a little hesitant about it because I played on USA, and I was recovering from a shoulder surgery.
“But my mom really wanted me to do it, and my family kept telling me to do it.”
So, Arenado will don completely different shades of crimson and blue, on behalf of the Boricua.
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Just like that, he’s by far probably the most completed participant on his WBC squad, with Puerto Rico’s infield dotted with part-time main leaguers similar to Emmanuel Rivera and Darell Hernaiz.
Still, Puerto Rico has a knack for WBC success – it joins Team USA, Japan and Cuba as the one nations to advance out of pool play in all 5 tournaments. And Arenado himself has participated in the previous two championship video games.
And, with Carlos Correa failing to acquire insurance coverage for the match, Arenado can be at his acquainted third base place, aiming to glean the advantages of full go baseball as he prepares for his first season along with his third staff, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“I find it irresistible, for me, selfishly, it is the vitality,” says Arenado. “It gets you mentally ready for the season. Obviously, the stakes are high right away, which is tough, but it brings that intensity. It brings the focus that you only get when opening day of the season starts.
“I really think it’s beneficial.”
This article initially appeared on USA TODAY: Why Nolan Arenado is on Puerto Rican team in WBC after USA service
