3 St. Louis Cardinals surprise second-half studs

Cardinals second-half stud No. 2: Lars Nootbaar

After a solid 2021 debut, in which he hit .239/.317/.422 in 124 plate appearances, good for a 103 OPS+, Nootbaar was ticketed for a backup outfielder role behind Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader, and Dylan Carlson.  And the lefty-hitting Nootbaar seemed like a good fit for such a role.  With Carlson a switch-hitter who can handle center field, Nootbaar could fill in at one of the corner spots to give the right-handed O’Neill or Bader a day off.

During the season’s first three months, even that limited role seemed too much for Nootbaar.  Over 69 at-bats, he hit .145 with two home runs, seven RBI, and nine runs scored.  He also struck out 24 times while walking just seven times.  It was a dismal start to his sophomore campaign.

Then July rolled around, and Nootbaar started rolling, too.  In the last two months, over 136 AB, he has smacked eight homers, driven in 25 runs, and scored 32 times while batting .294.  And with Bader dealt to the New York Yankees, Nootbaar’s playing time surged in August, during which he served as the primary leadoff hitter against right-handed starters.

Will Nootbaar turn into a pumpkin before his pumpkin-spice snack bar makes it to market?  (That product is pure speculation on the part of the author, though the timing would be great.)  The Cardinals certainly hope not.  He has September to continue to establish himself and help the Redbirds surge into the postseason.  And you never know who’s going to play the hero in the playoffs.