Catch of the Year countdown: Nolan Arenado tops the tarp (No. 5)

Editor’s note: This week, Big League Stew is counting down our five favorite MLB catches of 2015. Come back each day to see who lands at No. 1.

When Nolan Arenado is around, third base really is the hot corner. The Colorado Rockies star had quite the 2015 — leading the NL in homers and RBIs. While we’re just getting to know Arenado as an offensive powerhouse, we’ve known him as a spectacular defender for a while.

[Elsewhere: Red Sox will retire Wade Boggs’ No. 26 and we’ll drink to that]

In addition to all those homers, Arenado also won his third straight Gold Glove this season. So, obviously, he has a knack for making great plays look routine. But as we reflect on the best catches of 2015, one of Arenado’s highlights from April still stands out. You probably know the one. Arenado dashed for a foul ball at San Francisco’s AT&T Park, made an unlikely catch, collided with the tarp, then squared himself up while on the top of the tarp and tried to nail a baserunner. That’s athleticism and alertness, folks. It’s also darn impressive.

It says something about the quality of MLB defenders that this ranks No. 5 on our list. With just an eye test, it looks good enough to be catch of the year. In other words: We’ve got great plays coming later this week.

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