From youth ball to MLB Arenado/Yelich share bond
Nolan Arenado and Christian Yelich, now N.L. Central rivals, won championship together on youth teams. The two All-Stars also were teammates in the World Baseball Classic.
By Joe Frisaro @ManOn2nd
JUPITER, Fla. — Nolan Arenado may be a newcomer with the St. Louis Cardinals, but the All-Star third baseman is no stranger to playing games at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
Back in 2008, Arenado played on the loaded ABD Team in a Perfect Game tournament on the backfields at Roger Dean Stadium.
Among Arenado’s teammates was Christian Yelich. The two were standout high school players then in California, and their roster also included Trevor Williams, Tony Wolters and Matt Davidson.
Back in 2008, that team won the WWBA World Championship. They also competed in other high-profile tournaments around the country.
Arenado now is in his first season with the Cardinals, after being acquired from the Rockies in the offseason. This is his first time attending Spring Training in Florida. Yelich, of course, broke in with the Miami Marlins in 2013, and he currently is with the Milwaukee Brewers. Yelich was the National League MVP in 2018.
Arenado is five-time All-Star, and eight-time Gold Glove winning third baseman.
On Team ABD in 2008, Arenado played third base, and Yelich was at first.
“I played in a Perfect Game Tournament on the Marlins’ side, and we won that,” Arenado said. “We went to the finals at East Cobb. We had some really good teams, and there’s no doubt, it made me a better baseball player, being surrounded by good players and facing great competition.”
The East Cobb tournament is in Georgia, and is traditionally one of the higher-profile youth tournaments.
For Arenado and Yelich, they’re now National League Central rivals, and will face each other often this season.
It’s certainly not unusual for top prep players to go on and become big leaguers.
In Florida, there’s plenty of big leaguers, past and present, who share youth baseball experiences.
Mike Lowell was teammates of Alex Rodriguez and former Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez, not to be confused with the ex-Marlins shortstop with the same name.
These stories are reminders that the baseball dream of young players could someday become reality.
Not to mention, the level of competition at an early ago accelerates the development process for these players.
“It just changed my perspective in high school, as far as how I needed to become a better player,” Arenado said.
He added that he had to get better, because he was facing players who were being drafted in the higher rounds.
Arenado, from Newport Beach, Calif., was a second round pick of Colorado in 2009. Yelich, from Thousand Oaks, Calif., was the Marlins’ first-round pick in 2010.
“It was good playing with them,” Arenado said. “It was good to learn from all of those guys. It was a lot of fun.”
Arenado and Yelich reunited as teammates in 2017 on Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. The USA squad won the Gold Medal that year, and the two reflected on their childhood days while receiving their awards.
“I still talk to Yelich here and there, and obviously, I’m going to see him a lot this year,” Arenado said. “I have a lot of respect for Yelich. I’ve known him and his family for a long time. Great people.”
“No doubt, it was fun playing on USA with him again, like the old days, and obviously winning the Gold Medal was special.”