Lars

Nootbaar

It’s just a routine day off for Nootbaar. Brendan Donovan will shift to left field with Nolan Gorman entering the starting lineup at second base.

The Cardinals did all of their damage against the Nationals in the second inning on Saturday, brining in all four of their runs in the frame. Nootbaar drove in two on a double off Trevor Williams for his only hit in the game. The 27-year-old outfielder is having a solid season at the plate, slashing .243/.368/.401 with five homers, 25 runs scored, and four steals across 182 plate appearances.

The Cardinals’ offense has struggled a bit of late, but Nootbaar continues to perform and is slashing .272/.409/.427 on the season. The power hasn’t quite come with the consistency that many were hoping for, but he has been a great value for anybody who took him in drafts.

Nootbaar smacked a run-scoring single off of Tyler Alexander in the fifth inning that extended the Cardinals’ lead to 2-0 then came around to score on an RBI knock off the bat of Brendan Donovan. He also drew a walk to start the game on Friday, but was picked off of first base. He has done a nice job as a table-setter for the Cardinals this season, slashing .253/.393/.411 with four homers, 15 RBI and three stolen bases.

Nootbaar opened the scoring in the ballgame in the third inning as he crushed a first-pitch slider from Scott Blewett for a 365-foot (100.0 mph EV) two-run blast. He also was walked intentionally in the eighth inning, swiped second base and scored on Nolan Gorman’s go-ahead three-run double. Nootbaar finished his night with an RBI single in the ninth inning.On the season, the 27-year-old outfielder is now slashing .247/.380/.416 to go along with four homers, 14 RBI and three stolen bases.

Nootbaar will take a seat with the Cardinals going righty-heavy against David Peterson and the Mets. Victor Scott II will get the start in left field and bat leadoff in Nootbaar’s place.

Nootbaar is off to the kind of start that could lead to an All-Star appearance if he can stay healthy for once. He’s batting .284/.422/.463 with three homers and a pair of steals through 17 games. He’s tied for third in the majors with 15 walks, one behind Marcell Ozuna and Kyle Tucker.

Nootbaar set the table beautifully in this one, reaching safely in all three of his plate appearances against Aaron Nola. He is totally locked in right now in terms of pitch selection and has a .403 on-base percentage in what’s now been two straight weeks atop the Cardinals’ lineup. It was nice to see him steal his first two bases of the season too.

Scott gets the nod to face Pirates ace Paul Skenes with Lars Nootbaar getting a rare day off. The 24-year-old speedster is hitting .281 (9-for-32) with one homer, five RBI and four steals through nine games.

Nootbaar isn’t only hitting everything hard and typically more in the air this year, but he’s struck out only once in 19 plate appearances. Now that he’s playing every day and batting leadoff, he doesn’t need to maintain this kind of pace to be very useful in mixed leagues. Of course, his durability issues could always pose problems at some point.