Diamondbacks’ Nolan Arenado joins 2,000-hit club: ‘I’m happy to do it here’

PHOENIX — In the history of Major League Baseball, there had been six third basemen with at least five Gold Gloves and 2,000 hits. Of those six, only two had won 10 Gold Gloves: Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt.

Nolan Arenado has now joined that exclusive group of elites at the hot corner.

On Monday for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arenado yanked a double into the left-field corner against Athletics pitcher Jeffrey Springs.

The crowd at Chase Field gave Arenado a standing ovation as the video board showed that he had reached the illustrious milestone. His parents drove in and were present for the occasion.

Arenado is the third player to record his 2,000th hit while playing for the Diamondbacks after Steve Finley (2002) and Luis Gonzalez (2004).

He is also the sixth player in MLB history with 2,000 hits, 350 home runs and 10 Gold Gloves, joining legends Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays, Schmidt, Johnny Bench and Al Kaline.

“Obviously those guys are legends of this game, icons,” Arenado said. “The first time I ever met Ken Griffey Jr., I couldn’t believe it. … And then seeing Mike Schmidt up there, who’s the G.O.A.T.

“Mike Schmidt was the first guy when I was coming up and started to perform better, he was the first guy to say I love the way this guy plays. He was the first former legend of the game that said I like this third baseman. So that meant a lot to me. I’ll never forget that.”

Nolan Arenado is the 6th player in MLB history with 2,000+ hits, 350+ HR and 10+ Gold Gloves, joining:

– Ken Griffey Jr.
– Willie Mays
– Mike Schmidt
– Johnny Bench
– Al Kaline pic.twitter.com/4YWFp3WzKQ

— MLB (@MLB) July 21, 2026

Arenado’s first major league hit came on April 29, 2013, for the Colorado Rockies, and he has since built one of the strongest resumes from a third baseman ever to play the game with eight All-Star Games, 10 Gold Gloves, six Platinum Gloves and 366 home runs (and counting).

Only six active players have recorded 2,000 hits: Freddie Freeman, Jose Altuve, Andrew McCutchen, Paul Goldschmidt, Manny Machado and Arenado. There have been 297 players to reach that number in the history of baseball.

Arenado was happy to get his 2,000th hit out of the way, especially with a hard-hit double instead of a borderline hit. That thought crossed his mind pregame, he said.

“It’s really cool. I’m happy to do it here,” Arenado said. “With a team that wanted me. It feels good. … At one point, as I was going through my career, I was like, ‘I might be able to get there.’ And then the last couple of years, I didn’t think I was going to get there. So it’s kind of cool to be in this position now.”

Arenado came to the Diamondbacks at an inflection point in his career this past offseason.

His prime was over, and the D-backs bought low with St. Louis taking on most of his contract. The question was what was left in the tank after he experienced his worst season last year.

His bat has been inconsistent at times, but he’s gone through some impressive stretches and has been an above average hitter and defender overall. Just looking at his raw production, the Diamondbacks would have signed up for a .744 OPS and 13 home runs at this point in the season from him in a heartbeat.

And he has provided a leader-by-example in the clubhouse, a player who has built a reputation of hyper competitiveness throughout his career.

“I’m honored to just share the same dugout with him right now,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I’ve watched him for a long time. More when he was in the (NL) West and just admired him from afar. And the fact that I get to manage him is a total honor for me. Future Hall of Famer, for sure. He’s just making our ballclub better.”

Here are the six other third basemen with at least 2,000 hits and five Gold Gloves:

• Brooks Robinson
• Mike Schmidt
• Scott Rolen
• Buddy Bell
• Adrian Beltre
• Ron Santo

On that list, only Bell is not in the Hall of Fame.

When asked if he had a favorite hit, Arenado at first said he did not, but then he singled out June 18, 2017.

On Father’s Day, Arenado smashed a walk-off, two-run home run at Coors Field to beat the San Francisco Giants and complete the cycle. Blood dripped from his left eyebrow after celebrating with his teammates on a banner day for his Rockies tenure.

Even though Arenado has significantly more hits against the Diamondbacks (171) for his career than for them (79) so far, he will play a key role in how the rest of this season shakes out.

“The fans have been embracing me tremendously,” Arenado said. “We used to be rivals back in the day. I know they haven’t liked me a lot at times, but for them to stand and give me a standing ovation like that, that meant a lot.”

Perhaps there are more milestones he will hit while playing in Arizona. Reaching 400 home runs is something Arenado said that he would love to accomplish before hanging up his cleats.

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