Did walk-off cycle performance put Arenado on radar for NL MVP?

The Colorado Rockies are off to arguably the best start in franchise history, sit one game back of the Houston Astros for the best record in all the MLB, and its best player, third baseman Nolan Arenado, has the league’s best defensive WAR (1.6) and seventh-best offensive WAR (3.2).

Yet, it seems only recently, aided with the help of a walk-off home run for the cycle by Arenado on Sunday, has any attention outside of the Front Range focused heavily on the team at 20th and Blake, especially its All-Star third baseman.

Arenado leads the majors in extra base hits (44)’ sits fourth behind teammate Charlie Blackmon (177) in total bases (161); and ranked in the top 15 in runs created (52.4), RBIs (55), and slugging percentage (.573).

Not to mention the Rockies star has committed just one error in 186 chances (second most in the MLB) for a league-leading fielding percentage of .995.

Yet, Arenado trails the Chicago Cubs’ Kris Bryant, whom beat him out for last year’s NL MVP, in All-Star voting.

So, did Arenado’s career day on Sunday finally put him in the national spotlight?

“It’s a highlight of MLB Network, it was on ESPN, yeah, all of those things help give (Arenado) more national pub. The fact that the Rockies have the best record in the National League, all of those things help them,” Denver Post Rockies beat reporter Patrick Saunders told “Schlereth & Evans” on Monday.

“But there’s always that downside of the fact that people are always going to blame Coors Field.”

Saunders said people “tend to dismiss” player accolades earned, at least in part, at Coors Field, which he said downplays the accomplishments of players like Arenado, even if his 2017 road splits exceed his numbers at home.

“Unfortunately, there’s an attitude all around baseball, and people forget to look inside the numbers and they realize that Nolan’s splits, he’s actually hit more home runs on the road than he has at Coors Field and his batting average is almost identical,” Saunders said.

Arenado’s road numbers: 9 home runs, 26 RBIs, 14 walks, 25 strikeouts, .287 batting average, and an .898 OPS.

At home: 6 home runs, 29 RBIs, 8 walks, 29 strikeouts, .313 average, and .955 OPS.

“But people tend to dismiss anything that goes on at Coors Field as some sort of fantasy baseball or something,” Saunders said. “And it’s not fair to Nolan.”

Denver 7’s Troy Renck, also on with “Schlereth & Evans” on Monday, said he believes what gets overlooked the most is Arenado’s defense, not his offense.“In Nolan’s case, here’s what disappoints me about MVP voting, and I’ve voted for the MVP multiple times. I don’t understand why defense just gets dismissed like, ‘Oh, they’re all kind of even defensively. Let’s look at their stats offensively,’” Renck said.

“Those days are over. We have metrics enough to control that vote.”

But, in the end, Renck said if the Rockies continue as one of the best teams in baseball, Arenado should “absolutely be MVP because he would be the best player on arguably the best team.”

“Blackmon’s in the hunt, there’s no question about that. Blackmon is right there. But Nolan, for me, he should have been in the conversation before. You could argue he had a better than Kris Bryant last year,” Renck said.

“But why did Bryant win? Because the Cubs made history and they went to the playoffs. And when you don’t go to the playoffs, you put yourself in danger of not winning those awards.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.