If there’s one thing that all baseball fans love more than effort … I’m not sure what it is. Talent, power, speed, velocity, defense, offense, what-have-you; people value each differently. But when a player busts it down the line, goes the extra distance in the outfield or puts his body on the line for a play, it somehow unites fans.
Effort begets respect and that’s just what happens in this insane catch by Rockies third baseman, Nolan Arenado from early last season:
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Right off the bat (figuratively and literally), I love this play. The pitcher, catcher and hitter are all standing around like it’s just another routine foul ball. There’s no way anyone’s gonna get … to … holy cow! Not only is it an impressive catch, Arenado went flying into the tarp, putting his body on the line and earning the respect of the hometown Giants fans.
It’s an entirely different kind of tarp-catch than Anthony Rizzo’s from this past season, but which do you prefer? They’re both awesome, in totally different ways.