3 young St. Louis Cardinals that should get Braves-like extensions

Nolan Gorman #16 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits an RBI double/ (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
Nolan Gorman #16 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits an RBI double/ (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) /
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St. Louis Cardinals Lars Nootbaar
Lars Nootbaar #21 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a solo home run. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) /

Lars Nootbaar

Quickly becoming a fan favorite in St. Louis, Lars Nootbaar is not just a spark plug, fourth outfielder anymore, but a legit force at the plate with great defense in right field.

Since the second half began, Nootbaar is slashing .239/.366/.478 with 7 HR and 21 RBI in 172 PA. He has walked more than he has struck out, and is giving the Cardinals great power from the lead-off spot against right handed pitching.

Nootbaar is not the same level of player as some of the players who have received extensions around the league yet, but if the Cardinals believe his hot stretch is for real, he could soon find himself has an extremely valuable player in the league.

The 25-year old would not command a large number and wouldn’t need 10-12 years of security to get it done. This makes Nootbaar a great candidate for a “buy now why you can” kind of deal, and hope he continues to be the player he has been. If not, his AAV won’t be so high that the club cannot get rid of him, so it provides low risk to St. Louis.

While the Cardinals do have a lot of outfield options moving forward, Tyler O’Neill will be hitting free agency soon and Nootbaar has arguably been their most effective outfielder this season.