Re-ranking the ceilings of the St. Louis Cardinals outfielders

Tyler O'Neill #27 and Lars Nootbaar #21 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Tyler O'Neill #27 and Lars Nootbaar #21 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Aug 6, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) dives and catches a line drive hit by New York Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka (not pictured) during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 6, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) dives and catches a line drive hit by New York Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka (not pictured) during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Lars Nootbaar

Ranking spots 2-4 were by far the hardest on this list, and due to the short sample size, Lars Nootbaar fell to fourth on this list.

Fourth on the list back in December, Nootbaar retains his ranking, but has closed the gap significantly between himself and other outfielders in this organization. Nootbaar has gone from a likely fourth outfielder his whole career to a guy who is raking at at the plate and providing great defense.

On the season, Nootbaar is carrying a .838 OPS and 140 OPS+, but over the last 28 days, has seen that OPS rise to 1.017 and an OPS+ of 187. The 24 year old can mash against right handed pitching now, and his glove has made the loss of Bader hard to notice on a nightly  basis. Nootbaar can play center field, but is best utilized as a corner outfielder with his elite arm and great range.

Nootbaar is quite the fan favorite now, and if he continues his current pace, will likely rise up these rankings very soon. For now, his ranking in fourth is due to a mixture of a short sample size and great belief in the guys ahead of him. No shame for Nootbaar finishing behind these next three guys.