| Lars Nootbaar | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nootbaar with the Cardinals in 2024 | |||||||||||||||
| St. Louis Cardinals – No. 21 | |||||||||||||||
| Outfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1997-09-08)September 8, 1997 (age 27) El Segundo, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| June 22, 2021, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through April 30, 2025) | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .248 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 50 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 164 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Lars Taylor-Tatsuji Nootbaar (Japanese:ラーズ・テイラー＝タツジ・ヌートバー) (born September 8, 1997) is an American professionalbaseballoutfielder for theSt. Louis Cardinals ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). On the international level, he represents theJapan national baseball team.
Born and raised inEl Segundo, California, Nootbaar played three seasons ofcollege baseball at theUniversity of Southern California. The Cardinals selected him in the eighth round of the2018 MLB draft, and he was in their minor league system for four seasons before making his MLB debut in 2021.
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Nootbaar was born to an American father of Dutch descent, Charlie Nootbaar, and aJapanese mother, Kumiko Enokida.[1] Nootbaar grew up inEl Segundo, California.
He later attendedEl Segundo High School, where he played baseball and football. He was a three-time league MVP in baseball and twice in football as the Eagles' starting quarterback.[2] He committed to playcollege baseball at theUniversity of Southern California (USC) and was recruited to playcollege football byUC Davis andFordham.[3]
Nootbaar was a three-year starter for theUSC Trojans, where his older brother Nigel had played.[4] He was named All-Pac-12 Conference as a sophomore after hitting .313 with 34 RBIs, 33 runs scored, and seven home runs.[5] Following the season, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theOrleans Firebirds of theCape Cod Baseball League.[6] As a junior, Nootbaar had a .249batting average with sixhome runs and 24runs batted in (RBIs).[7]
TheSt. Louis Cardinals selected Nootbaar in the eighth round of the2018 Major League Baseball draft.[8] After signing with the team, he was assigned to theState College Spikes of theClass A Short SeasonNew York–Penn League, where he set a team record with seven RBIs in one game.[9] For the season, he hit .227 with two home runs and 26 RBIs over 56 games. Nootbaar began the 2019 season with theClass APeoria Chiefs of theMidwest League before being promoted to theClass A-AdvancedPalm Beach Cardinals of theFlorida State League.[4][10] He was promoted a second time to theSpringfield Cardinals of theClass AATexas League. Over 101 games between the three clubs, he batted .264 with seven home runs and 38 RBIs.[11] In 2020, the minor league season was canceled by theCOVID-19 pandemic.[12]
Nootbaar began the 2021 season at the Cardinals' alternate training site before being reassigned to theTriple-A EastMemphis Redbirds.[13] He was placed on theinjured list with a hand injury on May 28, and was activated on June 14.[14]
On June 22, 2021, Nootbaar was selected to the40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[15] At the time of his promotion, he had a .329/.430/.557slash line with five home runs and 17 RBIs over 22 games.[16] He made his MLB debut that day as the starting left fielder against theDetroit Tigers.[17] The following day, Nootbaar recorded his first career hit, a triple.[18] He hit his first career home run as a pinch-hitter offJT Brubaker in a 7–6 win over thePittsburgh Pirates on August 12.[19] Nootbaar hit another pinch-hit home run the next day in a 6–0 victory over theKansas City Royals.[20] On August 25, Nootbaar got his first career walk-off hit, a single in the 10th inning against Tigers relief pitcherMichael Fulmer.[21] Nootbaar finished the 2021 season slashing .239/.317/.422 with five home runs and 15 RBIs over 109at-bats.[22] He was selected to play in theArizona Fall League for theGlendale Desert Dogs after the season.[23]
Nootbaar entered the 2022 season as the Cardinals' fourth outfielder before eventually moving into a starting role after injuries and positive play. Over 108 games and 290 at-bats for St. Louis, he hit .228/.340/.448 with 14 home runs, 40 RBIs, and 16 doubles.[24] Nootbaar mainly played in center field for the Cardinals in 2023, also spending time in left and right field. Over 117 games, he batted .261 with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs.[25]
In 2006, a Japan national youth team toured the US, including future MLB playerMasahiro Tanaka and Japanese high school pitching phenomYuki Saito.[26] Nootbaar served as abatboy and interacted with the team, including stretching and playing catch, and some of the players stayed at his house and shared meals with the family.[26] According to his mother, this experience was later influential to Nootbaar accepting an offer to join theJapan national team for the2023 World Baseball Classic. The team went on to win the tournament, with Nootbaarbatting leadoff and recording an RBI in the gold-medal match against theUnited States national team.[27][28] Nootbaar was the first player not born in Japan to represent the country in aWorld Baseball Classic.[29]
Nootbaar's parents met while they were students atCal Poly San Luis Obispo.[16] Nootbaar's older brother, Nigel, was a pitcher at USC and played professionally in theBaltimore Orioles system.[30][31]
During the 2022 season, Nootbaar became a fan favorite among Cardinals fans, often being greeted with "Nooooot!" when batting or making a defensive play, which may be mistaken for booing.[32]
